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End Corruption In Oil And Gas Sector, Group Tasks FG

Published

7 years ago

June 6, 2017

A non-governmental organisation working in the area of oil and gas and solid minerals, Publish What You Pay – Nigeria (PWYP) has tasked the Federal Government to put an end to the monumental corruption in the oil and gas sector.

This was contained in a communiqué released after a 2-Day workshop organised for its members and other stakeholders in Abuja and signed by its National Coordinator, Mr. Emeka Ononamadu.

The workshop aimed at strengthening the civil society engagement on Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) for wider stakeholders drawn from the Civil Society Steering Committee members on NEITI, media, academia, professional bodies, representatives of NEITI, International Development Partners (IDPs) and PWYP members across the federation. Also, in attendance were representative of PWYP International, Asmara Klein and Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) International Board member, Faith Nwadishi.

The group observed that “the high level of corruption in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria has become a monster and recurring phenomenon. This endemic has impeded development for over four decades and that primitive accumulation of wealth on a very large scale from the commonwealth or resources by public office holders and their collaborators has continued unabated and therefore worrisome”.

It stated further that “the system and institutions in place for oil and gas exploration, production, control and monitoring purposes in Nigeria has proven to be inadequate, ineffective and porous which has continue to harbour preventable leakages and revenue losses for the country”.

PWYP decried monumental corruptions in the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission (NNPC) and other agencies violating the Treasury Single Account Policy of the Federal Government. “The workshop further brought to focus and in all ramifications condemned the corrupt practices of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other agencies in not remitting proceeds from crude oil into the Federation Account” and “further frowned at continuous misapplication and misappropriation of revenue from the oil and gas sector”.

It further urged government to stop gas flaring as it “constitutes threat to oil producing communities”.

Stakeholders at the workshop “resolved to strengthen the demand for transparency and accountability in the use of extractive resources, awareness raise and mobilization of the citizens so that they are informed to engage stakeholders through coordinated advocacies for policy reform; open, accountable and transparent system” while urging the National Assembly to pass a people oriented Petroleum Industry Governance Bill and hope the bill will eventually be signed into law.

The group called for the “installation of meters on oil-well heads and introduction of other effective and well-organized mechanisms to determine at all time, the quantity of crude oil produced in Nigeria”.