By Samuel Oyadongha
Yenagoa – A transparency advocacy group, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), has lauded President Goodluck Jonathan for his decision to halt the renewal of leases for International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria.

It called on the Presidency to put pressure on the National Assembly for the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill.

The group said though such push by the Presidency should be done within the ambit of the law, the oil and gas industry needs reforms that would help deal with modern day challenges and development without which revenue transparency would remain a tall order in the country.

In an online statement issued by its Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor, the group said the halt in the renewal of the leases of oil companies will make the International Oil Companies understand that it is in the overall interest of all stakeholders to have the Petroleum Industry Act in Nigeria.

“We cannot continue to pretend that all is well, when we know that there are a lot of issues that we need to resolve with the PIB,” Ugolor said adding, “President Goodluck Jonathan’s action is welcome and we urge him not to relent until the Petroleum Industry Bill is passed and signed into law.”

According to him, ANEEJ would in the next few weeks mobilize civil society actions to the National Assembly to drum support for the speedy passage of the bill.

“The passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill into law will complement the effectiveness of the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Secretariat which recent audit reports confirmed the urgent need to reform the oil and gas sector in Nigeria so as to create the enabling environment for all stakeholders.

“We would sustain the tempo of our media work as well, because the PIB is very vital to the economic life of this nation and we must follow through till our goal is realized. For us in ANEEJ, our hand is already on the plough. It is akin to a troop in the war front, no retreat no surrender,” Ugolor said.

On his part, the Policy Officer of the group, Mr. Innocent Edemhanria asserted that the oil majors have been taking undue advantage of the weaknesses in the Nigerian oil and gas institutions, hence their desire to shoot down the bill all the while pointing that only a well articulated legal framework as represented by the PIB can bring sanity to the Nigerian oil industry.

He said, “I want to call on the National Assembly to urgently pass the bill before the end of the lifespan of the current legislative assembly so that it can be to its credit that it was in their time that the Nigerian oil and Gas industry had a fresh breath of life.