Buhari sends PIA back to National Assembly, seeks amendment

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday wrote to the National Assembly seeking an amendment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

This was contained in a letter addressed to the President of Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and read during plenary on Tuesday.

This is coming few days after Buhari had assented to the bill.

Recall that on August 16, Buhari assented the PIA into law. The PIA provides legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, the development of host communities, and related matters.

The Senate had passed the Bill on July 15, 2021, while the House of Representatives passed the bill on July 16.

In the letter, Buhari is seeking the amendment of the provision which allows for the inclusion of the Minister of Petroleum and the Minister of Finance in the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The president argued that the ministers do not need to be part of the board of the NNPC to perform their duties.

Also, Buhari is seeking the increment of the Non-Executive members of the board to six. The bill had allowed for only two non-executive members.