From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Allhasan Ado-Doguwa, has said that the committee has concluded plans to initiate five bills to tackle challenges in the oil sector.
Ado-Doguwa, who stated this at a joint meeting of the committee and the Special Committee on Oil Theft, said the two panels will collaborate on the proposed legislations.
The lawmaker noted that the proposed bills are part of a legislative intervention to support national efforts in securing oil and gas assets and curbing crude oil theft.
He explained that one of the bills would be geared towards the establishment of a commission that will be empowered to tackle pipeline vandalism and other oil sector-related crimes.
According to him, another bill, which is championed by the speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, would seek to establish a commission to oversee the decommissioning of oil assets.
“The Committees and indeed the entire House are deeply concerned about the increasing insecurity and criminal activities around oil-producing areas. This intervention is a legislative response intended to complement government efforts in protecting these critical national assets.
“In my view, these two committees essentially deal with the same core issue: crude oil. While one focuses on the theft and security aspect, the other covers the drilling and export processes. That’s why we’ve decided to meet jointly and work together on these legislative proposals.
“The decommissioning process is a major policy priority of the current administration, but there are gaps in oversight. That is why the Speaker and other leaders of the House have shown interest in backing legislation that provides statutory authority and legal framework for a commission to manage this process, while also ensuring that the interests of host communities are taken into account,” Ado-Doguwa stated