The National Assembly has made plans to scrap government agencies
and corporations like the NNPC, DPR and PPPRA through its new version of
the Petroleum Industry Bill.
Shock and apprehension has greeted the current move by the National
Assembly to scrap the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the
Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the Nigeria
National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) through its new version of the
Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Petroleum Industry Governance Bill
(PIGB).
According to Leadership NG, the National Assembly’s version of the
controversial PIB clearly recommends the dissolution of the NNPC, DPR
and PPPRA.
Part three (3) of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, 2016,
anticipates in section 4 subsection 1 that “from the date of the
commencement of this Act, without further assurance, the Commission
shall be vested with all assets, funds, resources and other movable and
immovable properties which immediately before the commencement of this
Act were held by the Petroleum Inspectorate, the Department of Petroleum
Resources and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.
“As from the date of the commencement of this Act, the rights,
interests, obligations and liabilities of the Petroleum Inspectorate,
Department of Petroleum Resources and the Petroleum Products Regulatory
Agency existing immediately before the effective date under any contract
or instrument or at law or in equity shall by virtue of this Act be
assigned to and vested in the Commission.”
The section adds that “any such contract or instrument covered by
subsection 4(a) of this section shall be of the same force and effect
against or in favour of the Commission and shall be enforceable as fully
and effectively as if instead of the Petroleum Inspectorate, Department
of Petroleum Resources or the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory
Agency, the Commission had been named therein or had been a party
thereto; and the Commission shall be subject to all the obligations and
liabilities to which the Petroleum Inspectorate, Department of Petroleum
Resources and Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency were subject
immediately before the Effective Date and all other persons shall as
from the Effective Date have the same rights, powers and remedies
against the Commission as they had against the Petroleum Inspectorate,
Department of Petroleum Resources and Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Agency immediately before the Effective Date.”
When the Bill is passed into law, the new commission would also play
advisory role in advising the minister of Petroleum Resources on policy,
laws and regulations.
“The Commission shall administer and enforce policies, laws and
regulations relating to all aspects of petroleum operations which are
assigned to it under the provisions of this Act or any regulations made
in pursuance of this Act or under any other enactment,” it states in
part.
The new commission will also “monitor and enforce approved standards
for design, construction, fabrication, operation and maintenance for all
plants, installations and facilities utilized or to be utilized in
petroleum operations, in consultation with the Ministry of Environment,
ensure adherence to applicable national and international environmental
and other technical standards by all persons involved in petroleum
operations.”
The commission is also expected to establish, monitor, regulate and
enforce health and safety measures relating to all aspects of petroleum
operations, keep public registers of all leases, licenses, permits and
other authorisations issued by the commission or the minister and any
renewals, amendments, extensions, suspensions and revocations thereof.
The Senate also seeks to empower the commission to “monitor the
activities of the holders of leases, licenses, permits and other
authorisations issued by the Commission or the Minister to secure and
enforce compliance with the terms and conditions thereof and carry out
enquiries, tests, audits, investigations and any other undertakings
deemed necessary for performance of this responsibility.”
If the provisions of the legislation make it into a law, the listed agencies will either be dissolved or lose relevance.
The PIGB is believed to be a National Assembly version of the
Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which has been before the National
Assembly since 2005.
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