Lagos – The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), a civil society group, has called on the National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) for proper management of the nation’s oil and gas sector.
Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the CISLAC Executive Director, made the call during a courtesy visit to the corporate headquarters of the Independent Newspapers Limited, publishers of the INDEPENDENT titles, on Thursday, with top executives of the body.
The CISLAC boss lamented that the PIB has been lingering in the National Assembly, even as he stressed the need for the media to join in the advocacy to ensure that the lawmakers pass the bill without further delay.
Rafsanjani said: “We believe on the need for the lawmakers to pass this law that will be in the interest of the nation. Presently, there is no law for the regulation of how the oil sector is to be managed.”
He lamented the level of devastation in the Niger Delta, where the nation’s oil is generated, adding that the people in the region have been suffering due to the destruction of their land and water through pollution.
He stated that although the House of Representatives had passed some portions of the bill, there was need for the total bill to be passed to check corruption in the oil sector.
Rafsanjani also used the opportunity to commend INDEPENDENT titles for its support for CISLAC since inception, stating that the organisation had been receiving intense coverage by the stable.
Mr. Don Okere, Editor, INDEPENDENT, in his response, maintained that the PIB remained the only legal instrument that would move the nation’s oil and gas sector forward, especially as over 90% of the nation’s revenue comes from the sector.
He stressed that although the nation had been moving towards diversification, there is need to ensure that the sector is properly managed, hence the need for the bill to be passed by the National Assembly.
Mr. Okere pledged that the INDEPENDENT titles would continue to support moves to ensure the quick passage of the bill, even as he promised more assistance to CISLAC in its programmes.
In a related development, the CISLAC boss has said that the reported improvement in the nation’s economy as reflected in government figures and statistics is not having direct bearings on the citizenry.
Rafsanjani, who stated this during a state of the nation media briefing in Abuja, also said that poor implementation of the nation’s budget of not more than 20 percent was worrisome and should be immediately addressed in the interest of national security.
He expressed concerns over the on-going fuel scarcity rocking the nation thereby crippling economic activities due to what he said was triggered by lack of sufficient reserve, low clearance speed of petrol at the ports and diversion of products.
“We are bothered that the reported improvement in the economy is still largely reflected in government figures and statistics. The high level of unemployment at 18.8 percent generally and 33.10 percent for youths, backlog of unpaid salaries, epileptic power supply and recently the crisis hardship created by the non-availability of petroleum products are sad reminders of a poorly managed economy.
“The poor level of budget implementation of the 2017 budget is lamentable. Apart from the delay in the passage of budgets, an implementation level of less than 20 percent calls for serious concerns. It is bad enough that capital allocations are usually inadequate and frivolous.
“Wasteful provisions, poor disbursement and utilisation only create economic uncertainties and negatively impacts on the welfare of citizens,” he said.
While lamenting that the 2018 budget was not close to being passed despite April projection, Rafsanjani said that the development was a recipe for economic crisis and avenue for corruption and unapproved spending which could be diverted for political party or selfish uses by the various MDAs in a pre-election year.
The post CISLAC Renews Call On NASS To Pass PIB appeared first on Independent Nigeria.
CISLAC Renews Call On NASS To Pass PIB
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