The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has advised State Governors to filed a suit in court to challenge some aspects of the Petroleum Industry Act if they believe that those portions are unconstitutional
President Muhammadu Buhari had on Monday 15th August, 2021, signed the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, 2021 into law.
The Petroleum Industry Act provides a legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, the development of host communities, and related matters.
The National Publicity Secretary of the NBA, Dr. Rapulu Nduka, in an interview with The PUNCH, noted that people in different parts of the country had been making comments on the provisions of the PIA, adding that some of them were feeling short-changed.
According to him, the reason why the legislature has representation from all states of the federation is for the said representatives to debate laws before they are passed and made in the interest of all regions
“Lawmaking is one of the responsibilities of the legislature and since there are legislators from all states of the federation, then there should be proper representation.
“The purpose of having legislators from all states is that they should be able to debate laws before they are passed in order to ensure that those laws are made in the interest of every region.” Nduka stated
He, therefore, advised that “If the governors believe that some parts of the Act are unconstitutional, then by all means, let them approach the courts. They should go to court to challenge the aspects, which they believe are unconstitutional.”
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