Executive responsible for slow reforms implementation in oil, gas – CSOs

NAN-H-59
Reforms
By Angela Atabo
Abuja, Dec. 12, 2017 (NAN)Accountability in Extractive Sector (AES), a cluster of 30 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), has blamed the executive arm of government for slow implementation of reforms in oil and gas sector.
The Convener of the group, Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, said at news briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, recalled that the present administration promised commitment to implementing reforms in the sector.
According to Rafsanjani, who was represented by a Senior Programme Officer in the group, Mr Kolawole Bamwo, the commitment was to enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency in the sector.
He said that it included short and medium term priorities to grow Nigeria’s oil and gas industry from 2015-2019 “called seven Big Wins which was unveiled in 2016’’.
He said that there were also sector commitments in the National Action Plan of the Open Government Partnership in addition to the already established subscription to implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2007.
“As a cluster of 30 CSOs working in this sector, we want to note that the seven big wins that were established in the oil and gas sector are slow in terms of implementation.
“We also note that the deadline for passing the Petroleum Industry Bill in that document is December, 2016; the government is committed to collaborating with the National Assembly to conclude and pass PIB reform bill.
“We are one year past the timeline and this is yet to be accomplished; the executive has not even drafted the Bill in spite of the fact that N100 million was budgeted for it in 2017.
“We find it strange that in spite of making it a promise during the campaigns and with repeated pronouncement by both the executive and the legislature, the PIB remains elusive,’’ Rafsanjani said.
He said that the nation had lost billions of dollars in investments in the past five years in the sector “which is bad for a government in dire need of funds and operated a budget deficit’’.
He said that the group was also concerned that N120 million was proposed in the 2018 budget for the passage of the PIB even when there was no sign of the executive making any visible efforts.
The convener said that the group observed with scepticism, the intent behind the proposal to expend N610 million for the implementation of the seven big wins, including N200 million for oil and gas reforms in 2018.
He said that the group considered it as a marginal progress, considering that more far-reaching actions as Ogoni clean-up and establishing sufficient mechanisms of disclosure of operations were only being scratched at the surface.
Rafsanjani said that Nigeria was approaching 2018 and with elections in February, 2019, it was left with practically six months of governance and made it glaring that the reform would not happen.
“The group is apprehensive as efforts toward realising these reforms are not progressing as expected and the time is running out on this administration.
“We wish to remind the government that several countries have made progress in achieving these ideals and Nigeria which is seen as a leading light in the EITI family could not afford to fail.’’
He said that the group was also disturbed at the manner in which governments of oil-producing states earning 13 per cent derivation transfers were wasting the resources.
According to Rafsanjani, wastefulness, opacity and purposelessness characterized the use of their resources at sub-national levels and they need to derive an inclusive way of spending it on people-oriented development.
He urged the government to step up its implementation of the reforms in the sector.
He said that the group wished the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to evaluate its performance in the implementation of the seven big win to develop a responsive result.
Rafsanjani urged the executive and the legislature to synergies to expedite action for the passage of the PIB. (NAN)
ATAB/OPI/OPI