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NASS To Pass PIB April, Reps Assure
The Chairman of House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on Petroleum, Rep. Mohammed Monguno, has said that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), was expected to be passed by end of April to ensure competitiveness in oil and gas industry.
Monguno made the remark while speaking with newsmen on the side-line of the visit of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Petroleum to the Port Harcourt Refining Company in Eleme, Rivers State, last Wednesday.
According to him, our intention is to pass the PIB with the speed of light by the end of April, 2021, so that Nigeria will get the benefits of reformed oil and gas industry.
He said that there was the need for a reformed oil and gas industry, ”that is much more competitive, attracts much needed foreign direct investment, and then, conserves our own foreign exchange for more deployment of infrastructure needs”.
Monguno, who is the co-chairman of the National Assembly Joint Ad-Hoc Committee, said that the main thrust of the PIB, ”is to reform the oil and gas industry to make it more competitive and to bring the operations in tandem with the international practice”.
He said that the committee was in the PHRC to see its constraints and how best within the provision of the PIB it could leverage on same for enhanced revenue.
He noted that it was with a view to attracting the much needed investment in the oil and gas industry, especially against the backdrop of the fact that the world was moving away from fossil fuel to renewable energy.
”So, there is need for us to make our oil and gas industry more competitive to attract the much needed investment by reforming same,” he said.
He said that the issue of turnaround maintenance of the refinery would be captured within the context of the PIB.
Monguno added that the issue of privatisation of the refineries was at present the decision of the executive as NASS had yet to take a decision on it.
Also speaking to newsmen, the Managing Director of Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Mr Ahmed Dikko, said that the turnaround maintenance of the company would begin in April, if Covid-19 pandemic could permit.
He said that all the approvals and support required from the government and NNPC had been given and a team had been dedicated for the project.
”We have done a lot of activities; we are very confident and are sure that we are going to bring back this facility’s optimum production capacity in a very short time.
”Our engagement has been very different; we try to carry everybody along, we try to open up and show a lot of transparency in what we do.
”The whole arrangement is concluded and approvals are almost got; so, by and large, by next month or April, at most, we mobilise to the site if Covid-19 permits.
”We hope to run this through to second quarter of 2023, when we begin to commission all the works we are doing in phases.
“We, then, drag these activities probably a little bit more than that so that we have a complete rehabilitation of the whole facilities,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.