The Nigerian government has called on experts in hydrocarbons to demonstrate excellence and make the nation proud during the technical session of the 8th National Council on Hydrocarbons.
Speaking at the opening ceremony held in Asaba, Delta State, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Amb. Nicholas Agbo Ella, represented by the Director of the Upstream Department, Engr. Kamoru Busari FNSE, highlighted the importance of the meeting.
He described the council as the ministry’s flagship event, designed to generate innovative ideas that will drive effective policy formulation in the oil and gas sector. The event underscores the government’s commitment to leveraging expertise to shape the future of Nigeria’s energy landscape.
Describing the theme of the National Council “The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021: The Journey so Far” as well thought out and apt for the moment, the Permanent Secretary emphasised that Nigeria’s economy, to a large extent, depends on the revenue generated from hydrocarbons; as such, successive governments tend to pay much attention to the oil and gas to realise the numerous benefits inherent in it for developing and diversifying the economy.
“The Ministry of Petroleum Resources was created with a mandate to formulate policies, supervise their implementation, and regulate the Nigerian Oil and Gas (Energy) Industry. The mission of my ministry, therefore, was to deliver a thriving oil and gas (energy) industry for Nigeria. The mandate and mission of this ministry can only be achieved when good and implementable policies are formulated and implemented in the letter. This, to me, was the principal reason we convocated annually for this Council,” he stated.
The Federal Government, realising the dangers inherent in overdependence on oil revenue, which for some years now has been volatile and causing disruption in the implementation of the national budget, decided to, through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, tap into the gas potential of Nigeria to optimise the gas value chain.
Ella asked the experts to bear in mind that suggestions and recommendations from the gathering will directly or indirectly affect people from the oil and gas sector, communities, ministries, agencies, and the nation at large.
In his welcome address, the Honourable Commissioner of Delta State Ministry of Oil and Gas, Honourable Peter Okagbare Uviejitobor, noted that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 marked a landmark achievement in Nigeria’s quest for a transparent, efficient, and environmentally conscious oil and gas sector.
“This regulation does not only seek to reform our industry but is also aimed at creating a conducive environment for investment, enhancing frameworks, and promoting local content development amidst ensuring that the host communities are accorded their right of place in the sector. That was why its passage was greeted with so much celebration,“ he pointed out.
The Commissioner therefore encouraged every participant, especially members of constituted Host Development Trusts and oil companies, to actively defend their memoranda, contribute to the conversations, share their experiences, and propose innovative solutions that will shape the future of the industry.
Delivering his goodwill message, the National Chairman of Oil and Gas Host Communities, Dr Mike Emuh, commended the Ministry of Petroleum Resources for extending an invitation for the first time to the executives of the Oil and Gas Host Communities to participate at the National Council on Hydrocarbons.
He reiterated that the host communities are creating an enabling environment for the oil and gas companies as well as other critical stakeholders to operate and encouraged the federal government to stop the delay in the implementation of PIA because the effects of its non-implementation on the host communities are quite enormous.
Participants were drawn from various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs); the military; para-military; academia; Military, Academia, Petroleum Training Institute (PTI); and other critical stakeholders in the oil and gas sector.
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