By Moses Patience Chat
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Amb. Gabriel Tanimu Aduda, has stated that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) passed in 2021 would help reposition the Nigerian oil and gas insustry.
Aduda made this remark while speaking with a delegation from the Oloibiri Oil and Gas Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (OLOGEDI), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), who paid him a visit last week in Abuja.
According to the permanent secretary, though a desirable document, PIA has thrown up observed flaws, gaps and inadequacies while being implemented, and that the Ministry is looking into these gaps and lapses.
He also said that the Ministry will coordinate all of its activities with a view to initiating a process of amendments to the concerned sections of the act in order to establish a better oil and gas sector.
While speaking on the impact of the PIA to the host communities, Aduda said that specific provisions in the act had given impetus to the oil producing areas. He noted that the PIA was certain about its engagements with the host communities in the areas of funding through the Host Communities Development Fund (HCDF) and ensuring their participation.
The permanent secretary also emphasized on the Ministry’s mandate of policy formulation, supervision, and monitoring and evaluation of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.