By Oscarline Onwuemenyi

Goodluck Jonathan

The Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Mr. David Ugolor, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to put into consideration the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill in the next dispensation while perfecting his ministerial list.

In a statement on Thursday, Ugolor, whose organisation has been at the forefront of efforts to pass the PIB into law, declared that the appointment of able hands into the various ministries would drive the nation’s economy speedily and ensure that the dividends of democracy do not elude the people.

Specifically, he said the Ministry of Petroleum Resources should be left in the hands of a minister who is prepared and committed to transform the oil and gas sector through the passage of the PIB.

According to him, such a Minister of Petroleum Resources must be one that would not succumb to the pressure of influential multinational oil companies at the expense of the larger society and the survival of the local economy.

He said, “It is no longer news that the 6th National Assembly disappointed Nigerians as it failed to pass the PIB before the end of its tenure on May 29, 2011. The effects of this legislative inaction stares Nigerians in the face even as the 7th National Assembly is inaugurated and President Goodluck Jonathan looks around to perfect his ministerial list to drive the nation’s economy and deliver tangible outcomes to citizens in the next four years.

According to Ugolor, “Millions of Nigerians are today faced with biting scarcity of diesel and kerosene, the major fuel of the poor, a situation which has forced untold hardships on the mass of our people who have now resorted to other environmentally degrading coping measures.

“This is in spite of the huge amount of money spent on Turn Around Maintenance of the nation’s refineries.”

He added that, “The non-passage of the PIB has equally created an environment of uncertainty for new investments by the International Oil Companies which has resulted in loss of potential revenue from royalties by the Nigerian government. Civil Society Organisations united around the need for the speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill are worried that the authorities do not seem to be moving in the right direction to bring about the much needed reforms in the oil and gas sector.

“We recognise that law is the framework that regulates a society. The Petroleum Industry Bill repeals all existing laws because they are obsolete, out of tune with international best practices and lack accountability and transparency frameworks.”

He further advised the president to realise that Nigerians voted for him to transform the economy and not for business-as-usual. He added that recent developments in the oil and gas sector, particularly the non-release of the audit report on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the non-passage of the PIB and the scarcity of kerosene had, however, indicted the previous leadership.

He noted, “Mr. President should signal a break from business-as-usual in the sector by appointing a minister that can give teeth to his transformation agenda in the sector. We call on President Goodluck Jonathan to select as the new petroleum minister a very competent Nigerian, devoid of sectional, ethnic or religious sentiments who can implement the required reforms with urgency.”