By Daniel Alfred
The Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies,NIALS, has set a target to reconcile the variables over the argument of having about five versions of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and as well make sure that at the end what is recommended for gazetting by the National Assembly is the best for this country.

This is following the controversies towards the implementation of the PIB, which  has continued to raise dust in the country as the institute emphasised the need to critically look into the matter.
This was the position of the Director General, Nigerian Institute of Advance Legal studies (NIALS), Professor Epiphany Azinge at the one day round table on  international best practise in the oil and gas sector held recently in Lagos.
According to him, “The Institute is as a result making plans to make sure that appropriate recommendations are made to the National Assembly  to emerge what will be proud of and that which will merge international standard and practise.”
“Oil and gas is a very critical and important part of our economy and we can’t afford to joke with it. We have not had a bill for the past thirty years or more now, and that is not good because law is dynamic and must be in accordance with the dynamic process and we cannot loose fact that a lot has happened in the system and we need to regulate the industry and bring about the things that are good for the country. But as it is now, the PIB is still outstanding and it is raising a lot of dust” he said.
Professor Demola Popoola who spoke on the issue of cartel and organisation, added Petroleum Product Price Regulating Agency (PPPRA), pointed out that it is there own ethics to refuse cartel.

“Nigeria has been budgeting budget ascending to report. What ever happens to OPEC is of great interest to all of us. there is no international Antitrust Law within the Europeans. The question is can OPEC be subjected to the international Law? There is a serious attempt to criminalise OPEC in the US and if that continues there will be an issue in the body.”

“An aluminium cartel reduced quota in the production of Aluminium. As a developing country with a high interest in the oil and gas, i think we should follow suit in the development. There has been a strong force to break OPEC to near monopoly. One of the problems OPEc is facing is that some of the none members of OPEC has some decisions to make to sabotage OPEC itself.”

“ I see the PPPRA is properly manages as an organisation which means everything should be dne to support its existence. We cant pretend that there is something good about our oil industry when actually it is deprecating. It has been ascertained that the PIB is the solution to the issue of the oil industry in the country”. He said.

He added that what appears to be the bone of contention in the national assembly is that what was past into bill is not the main bill but what he described as a work paper to the equilisation f the bill and proper regulation of the oil industry.

“To have decisive day, as they used to have in the oil industry and in response to the OPEC resolution which enjoins stakeholders to get involved in the oil and gas sector, I don’t think the Nigerian public supports the plans of jacking up the price of oil.

Going by the reports in the major cities of the country, Nigerians are not in support of deregulation and price increment of the oil and gas product. Nigerian Labour Congress in its Report, came out with some figures regarding that.

Though it has not been accurate report so far. Nigerian has the highest in the population of the petroleum minimum wage.” He said.

Dr Nnamdi Dingba, a partner with Punka attorney and solicitor also opined that there has been crisis in the oil and gas industry and that is the reason they are looking at the best approach to adopt and develop the crises and because the refineries are not functional, the country have been unable to have sufficient supply of petroleum product for domestic use which is the reason they talk about deregulation.

“For more me, the refineries are not working because they are under public ownership issued by the government and the same bureaucracy that makes that government functions well and not deliver the services of the governor”. he said.