Emmanuel Aziken
5 June 2008
Lagos — Proceedings of the Senate were for the first time in the current dispensation disrupted by a member of the public yesterday, when an intruder joined his voice to the proceedings from the gallery.
The temporary disruption came on the day that the Senate adopted a joint Committee report on gas flaring recommending that oil production companies be compelled to pay international gas price for gas flared.
The joint report of the Senate Committees on Gas, Environment and Upstream Petroleum also recommended that the deadline for gas flaring should be fixed at December 2008.
The unidentified young man dressed in black suit erupted shortly after Senator Osita Izunaso, chairman of the Senate Committee on Gas had presented the joint reports on gas flare down.
As Senator Osita took his seat, the young man seated in the gallery and who had all along been raising his hands intermittently for recognition from the Senate President, suddenly burst out breaking the solemnity of the chamber.
"Mr. Senate President, I have something to say. I want to bring it to your knowledge," the young man said to the shock of fellow gallery visitors and the chagrin of the watching Sergeant-at-Arms officials.
As he stood up, a lady sergeant-at-arms official moved towards him but before she could reach him, he again repeated his effrontery stunning the Senators seated below and provoking the wrath of the Senate President, Senator David Mark.
"Can somebody take that character out of that place," Senator Mark bellowed from the chambers. Upon Mark's order male sergeant-at-arms officials joined their helpless female colleague who was already having difficulty pulling the intruder from the gallery.
As the security enforcers pulled him away, he was yet screaming, "I have to air my views."
He was eventually taken to the offices of the State Security Services in the basement of the White House building of the National Assembly complex.
But as he was been taken away, Senator Mark had to reassure the shell shocked legislators of their safety soothing them with the words that "It is not here, it is from the gallery."
Returning to its consideration on the report on gas flaring, the Senate adopted the recommendations of the joint Committees to wit, that gas flaring must come to an end in the country by the end of the year.
The report further affirmed that the penalty for gas flaring should be fixed to reflect international market rate for gas.
The Senate nevertheless, rejected the recommendation that fines accruing for gas flaring should be used to build up the health and environment of the host communities.
The Senate also rejected a recommendation for the establishment of a commission on gas flaring which would "ensure that the provisions in the legislation are strictly adhered to."
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