Abuja – Members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to formally present the bill for the proposed unbundling of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) without further delay.
The House specifically urged the Presidency to send an Executive bill to the National Assembly as soon as possible, if he intends to unbundle NNPC or carry out fundamental restructuring or reforms in the oil and gas sector.
The lawmakers, during the debate on the motion which seeks to investigate the recent announcement of Ike Kachukwu, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources on the proposed unbundling of NNPC into 30 companies, accused the Minister of usurping the powers of the National Assembly ‘to unbundle NNPC into 30 different entities this week.’
Piqued by the Minister’s action, the House mandated its joint Committee on Petroleum Upstream and Downstream, Local Content and Legislative Compliance to ensure that the Minister of Petroleum Resources/NNPC Group Managing Director “is prevented from usurping the functions of the National Assembly and desecrating the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by not allowing him legislate for the National Assembly in the unbundling of the NNPC.”
In his lead debate, Agom Jarigbe, sponsors of the motion who argued that any part of the legislative framework establishing NNPC can only be altered, changed or otherwise amended only by an Act of the National Assembly.
“The House is aware that the legislative powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is vested in the National Assembly with power to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the Federation or any part thereof with respect to matters included in the Executive Legislative List.
“That the Petroleum and Natural Gas is included as item 39 on the Exclusive Legislative List.”
He further observed that the unbundling of NNPC can only be done “by an Act of National Assembly and not by fiat or administrative pronouncement of the Honourable Minister or even the President.”
