Lukman: Petroleum Bill’ll Eliminate Corruption

But in a presentation yesterday, Ijaw National Congress (INC) described the Bill as commercially reckless and political insensitive.
Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, presented Rilwanu’s submission before the Senate Joint Committee on PIB, which yesterday begun a three-day public hearing on the Bill.
He said, “confidentiality encourages corruption. The best way to fight corruption is to remove confidentiality for all procedures, contracts and payments. “Every Nigerian, including all stakeholders, should have the right to know what is going on.
The bill removes confidentiality on a scale not seen in the world before. Nigeria will move one step from one of the most opaque petroleum nations in Africa, to one of the most open and transparent in the world.
“The text of all licences, leases and contracts and any of the changes to such documents will no longer be confidential. Payments to the government of Nigeria will be public information. All petroleum geological, geophysical, technical and well data will be accessible for all interested persons in a national data base.” He said the proposed Bill would result in a significant increase in transparency, adding, “from now on, petroleum prospecting licences and petroleum mining leases can only be granted by the Minister through a truly competitive bid process; and such process would be open and accessible to all qualified companies.”
In their position paper presented by the President, Dr. Atuboyedia Obianime, INC said, “we have taken a critical look at this Bill and are of the firm view that it does not contain the desired provisions necessary to cure the deficiencies contained in the existing obnoxious and obsolete laws regulating the petroleum industry.
“This Bill innocently parades the idea of restructuring of operations of NNPC as its main theme. However, one can see through the glass faintly that the restructuring advocated by this Bill is not its only mission.”
“Its mission also includes self-destruct; otherwise, how does one explain that even before the passage of the Bill, the obnoxious restructuring has started in NNPC? Staff from a specific geographical zone have been retired and those from another zone appointed with institutes in NNPC relocated to new areas of the country.
“We say with all sense of patriotism, this Bill of commercial recklessness, political insensitivity and hegemonistic interest be surgically revised that Nigeria may have peace.”

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