By Andy Asemota
The Senate has raised a seven-man Conference Committee to engage their counterparts in the House of Representatives to harmonize the positions of both chambers on the Petroleum Industry Bill.

Recall that both chambers passed the PIB last Thursday with different amendments to several provisions to some clauses in the reports of their respective joint committee on the bill.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, Tuesday, announced the senate Leader, Aliyu Abubakar Abdullahi led Conference committee with a member each from the different geopolitical zones comprising of Sabo Mohammed Nakudu (North West); Albert Basset (South-South); Mohammed Danjuma Gone (North East); Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (South West); Stella Oduah (South East) and Gabriel Susuwan (North Central).

Possible plane crash in Russia after radio contact lost

According to Lawan, “the committee will meet our counterparts in the House of Representatives. We hope the conference committee of both chambers will be on the same page so that we will be able to have the PIB which we will transmit to the President’s assent.”

Among the most contentious issues in the two versions of the PIB passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives include the 5% approved by Reps and 3% approved by the Senate respectively for host communities in oil-producing states, which has been generating outcry, especially in Southern part of the country.