Waziri Adio, former NEITI boss, says PIB jinx ‘broken’

Waziri Adio, former executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), says the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) jinx has been broken.

Adio, a strong voice for transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s extractive sector, stated this on Thursday, following the passage of the landmark PIB by the senate and house of representatives.

In 2018, in a series of tweets, Adio advised the national assembly to expedite action on the passage of the PIB for the sake of Nigeria.

“Since the journey for an omnibus law for the petroleum sector started in 2000, with the introduction of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in the parliament in 2008 as a key milestone, this is the farthest we have come on this issue,“ he had said.

“If the National Assembly succeeds in passing all the four bills and the executive signs them all before politicking for 2019 starts, that will be a solid achievement indeed. It is possible. Please do this for Nigeria.”

At a symposium on the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) in Abuja, Adio had also advocated for the president’s assent.

He had said the implementation of laws would reposition and transport the oil and gas sector to become a real blessing and not just a “needless curse”.

With the passage by the two chambers of the national assembly, Adio expects President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the bill since the executive proposed it.

“With the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) today by the two chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly, it seems the jinx around a composite law for Nigeria’s petroleum sector has been broken,” Adio tweeted.

“Since this is an executive bill, presidential assent should be expected.”

Adio served as NEITI boss from February 2016 to February 2021 and was succeeded by Orji Ogbonnaya Orji.

Under his watch, NEITI was named one of only eight countries worldwide to have achieved “satisfactory progress”, the highest level obtainable in implementing EITI’s standards.