PIG bill: Stakeholders urge National Assembly to give accelerated hearing to other bills

STAKEHOLDERS in the just concluded symposium on Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) has urged the National Assembly to accord similar accelerated hearing to the remaining Bills to comprehensively reform Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

They also admonished all the relevant government institutions expected to be affected by the PIGB if it becomes law to put in place mechanisms for its speedy implementation.

The symposium was convened by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) in Abuja as part of its mandate as an anti-corruption agency committed to enthroning transparency, accountability and good governance of the extractive sector.

The participants further advised against “any possible foot-dragging or institutional resistance capable of creating avoidable obstacles to either assent to the PIGB, its implementation or the passage of the remaining Bills”.

While delivering his speech, the Executive Secretary, NEITI, Waziri Adio, explained that the motive for convening the symposium was to discuss what needs to be done and urgently too to build on the successes recorded so far by the passage of the PIGB by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

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According to him, “now that we are hopefully close to the end of these circuitous journeys, it is important for us to focus on the next tasks in a way that will proactively and strategically ensure that the intentions of the proposed laws are fully realized; that we have not undertaken the long journey in vain.”

In his speech, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru explained that the corporation awaits presidential assent on the PIGB and would comply fully when it becomes law.

“We are delighted that the PIGB will provide the petroleum industry with an enabling environment to be able to institutionalize best practices for effective and efficient operations of our industry.” He said.

The GMD who was represented by the Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Mr BalaWunti identified four areas as a priority of the Corporation. These include protection of Nigeria’s national interest, opening up NNPC operations to public scrutiny, compliance with existing laws and driving the corporation on the part of profitability.