PIB, Electoral Bill: Reps pledge to protect Nigerians’ interest

Following outcries on the passage of Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the Electoral Amendment Bill, the House of Representatives has pledged to always protect the interest of Nigerians in its legislation.

Rep. Benjamin Kalu, the Spokesperson of the House of Reps made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

Kalu said that the House would not waver in its quest to put the interest of the country and the citizenry into consideration in all its legislative work, adding that there was no perfect legislation in the world.

“Let us for the interest of this country, loyalty and faithfulness to it, recognise what this parliament has gone through in the passage of the bills,’’ he said.

He urged Nigerians to be hopeful in their legislative efforts to rebuild the country, adding that “no stone will be left unturned in a bid to make the country great”.

“Our laws allow us to make improvement, they may not come immediately, but we have left our former position and we are in a better position now,” he said.

He said that in the passage of the bills, it was the will of the majority that prevailed, adding that the beauty of democracy was that “minority will have their say, while the majority have their way’’.

Kalu said that the conference committee on PIB reports agreed on what was not in accordance with the five per cent the house initially agreed on.

“But had to settle for the three per cent the two committees of the two chambers agreed on.

“There is no other option other than the conference committee, so instead of delaying Nigerians and our progress toward meeting the requirement of energy transition, we have to pass the bill in line with what the senate passed,” he said.

He said that adopting holistically the conduction and transmission of election results could end up disenfranchising electorate.

“The consideration was that, do we have the infrastructure that can help in order not to disenfranchise those disadvantaged?  he wondered.

Kalu said the decision of the house was based on an informed judgment having listened to stakeholders that could guide the lawmakers in making a valid choice.

He said that the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) had attributed lack of capacity to carry out 100 per cent of Nigerians along during the polls.

He said it was imperative for the lawmakers to weigh the options before it and make an informed decision at all times. 

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