Admin l Friday, August 20, 2021
LAGOS, Nigeria – More revelations are coming out on how Nigerian lawmakers mortgage the oil rich Niger Delta region with speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Act to line their pockets with millions of US Dollars.#piascandal
According to Peoples Gazzette, five lawmakers, including three senators and two House members have revealed that at least $10 million was paid in cash to members of the National Assembly to help expedite passage of the bill despite widespread opposition to 3 percent for host communities in the Niger Delta region.
According to Peoples Gazette, the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamiala, pocketed $2 million each to horridly force the bill down the throat of people in the Niger Delta. Recall, that Minister of State for Petroleum was reported to have visited the Senate when the matter was under discussion and reportedly went into closed door meeting with principal officers of the National Assembly before the PIB was rubber stamped.
The newspaper also alluded to a billionaire who provided $2 million alone, while other firms and individuals in the oil and gas industry provided the remaining $8 million.
“The Senate President received $2 million and the Speaker received $2 million,” a senator told The Gazette under anonymity to avoid charges of breach of privilege. “Their greedy misconduct was recently exposed to us and we will seriously take up the matter when we resume from the annual recess next month.”
“From what I can volunteer, many senators were given $20,000 before and after the PIB was passed, depending on their availability,” the senator said. Another lawmaker furious about the affair admitted to The Gazette that he received $5,000, but said he didn’t know it was part of a multimillion-dollar payout to lawmakers to pass the bill.
“They gave me $5,000 and said it was for us to buy biscuits for our children for labouring day and night to get the bill to the stage of passage,” the lawmaker said under anonymity. “To God, I did not know that it was about $10 million that they received and some crooks calling themselves leaders got $2 million each for themselves.”
“We will protest the matter after our break because some people have to realise that they don’t have two heads and we have to fight for our rights and privileges as members of the National Assembly,” the lawmaker added.
