Stakeholders in the oil and environment sectors on Wednesday called for a review of the new version the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIB) before its passage into law.

They made the call at an Environmental Parliament held in Yenagoa to examine the provisions of the Bill which is currently before the National Assembly.

Participants were drawn from civil society organisations, oil bearing communities, legal experts media as well as youth and women groups advocated the inclusion of the Host Communities Fund in the Bill.

A new version of the PIB which removes the Host Community Development Fund as proposed in the earlier version has been re-presented for deliberation at the National Assembly.

According to Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) the session became necessary in view of the review of the Petroleum Industry Bill, renamed the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill.

Experts at the event, who reviewed the current provisions in the Bill which is geared towards its unbundling, underscored the need to include environmental governance, community participation and security.

Dr. Godwin Ojo, Executive Director at ERA/FoEN, emphasised that passing the bill into law without expanding its provisions to accommodate the key issues lacking in it would amount to an exercise in futility.

In a presentation that examined the various components of the draft Bill, a Legal expert, Dr. Simon Amaduobogha, pointed out that the bill in its present form does not guarantee public participation and protection of the environment.

In the same vein, Head of Legal Department at ERA/FoEN, Mr. Chima Williams, noted that the new version of the bill reduced the discretionary powers of the Minister of Petroleum in certain areas.

Williams noted that the bill fell short by not prescribing clear cut roles and responsibilities between the Minister and the proposed Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

Other participants in separate contributions highlighted the importance of addressing the complexities in the bill.

They urged the legislature to ensure that the 10 per cent Host Communities Fund which was recommended in the previous version is reintroduced before its passage into law.

The participants regretted that since 2008 when efforts were first made to introduce the Petroleum Industry Bill, eight years after, it has yet to see the light of the day.

•Photo shows National Assembly Complex.

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