Senate passes Gas Flaring Bill, 2010 now deadline

03.07.2009

The Senate on Thursday, passed the Gas Flaring (Prohibition and Punishment) Bill 2009, after its third reading. The bill, sponsored by Senator Osita Izunaso (PDP-Imo), seeks to prohibit gas flaring by any company in Nigeria and sets a January 2010, as the deadline for compliance.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the upper chamber finally passed the bill after an extensive debate on the report of its Committee on Gas which started on May 19.

Senate President David Mark, noted that the bill had suffered a lot of delay, adding however, that it had finally been passed. “We thank God that we have finally passed the bill after a long delay,” he said and congratulated Izunaso for its successful passage.

The Senate also on Thursday, referred President Umaru Yar’Adua’s request for the approval of the 2009 budget proposals of the Niger Delta Development Commission to its Committees on Finance and Appropriation.