Senate has promised that when it resumes plenaries, it would repeal and even enact news laws to fine tune the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, and others, that would improve local content and ensure the Ease of doing Business. The President of the 10th Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, spoke at 9th Africa Energy Summit, organised by Solewant Group, in Port Harcourt, with theme; “Emerging Technologies and the Future of Sustainable Energy Development in Africa”. Akpabio, who was represented by the Senator Representating Enugu West District, Sen. Osita Ngwu, the Chairman Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, said the Senate upon resumption would give attention to laws that have grey areas, to ensure that they benefit Nigerians. Ngwu noted that there is a bill already before the senate on Automotive, but that the Committee handling it has resolved to make it holistic to include other industries.
He said “Recently, one of us presented a bill on local content. We at the committee level deliberated on that bill, on Automotive Industry, and someone recommended that the bill should cover every other industries to improve on our local content. The recommendation is done and we are about to start looking at the bills. We will want the industry players to make recommendations when the time comes, so that we will further strengthen our Local content act, to ensure industry growth.” Ngwu noted the senate has received a lot of complaints against the PIA, noting that for efficiency sake, the senate when it reconvenes would repeal and enact laws that would serve the people better. He said “The second is the PIA. It took us years to have the Petroleum Industry Act on-board. Currently there are a lot of complaints on the bill and have visited some of them like Dangote Refinary and other key players.
“It is our duty to look at the law to see if there are areas that we can touch to improve the economy and the industry as a whole. I also encourage us, as at the time we start, you can make inputs as players in the industry so that futher strengthen our PIA for the growth of Nigeria economy and the industry. The 10th Assemly, we are intentional. When we started we say we are proactive assembly. We are intentional that we will make laws that will improve the ease of doing Business. It is not easy. As we resume, we are going to make new laws, even repeal old one and reenact them to make sure that we have doing Business as ease as we wish.” However, the Group Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer, Solewant Group, Engr. Solomon Ewanehi, commended the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, for their unwavering support and stand for local content. Ewanehi said the firm has delivered well over 100 projects and is currently writing a new chapter of energy transition and pipeline protection. He said that the nation has for long battled issues of pipeline vandalism, adding that the firm has come up with technologies that would monitor pipelines and bring sabotage to end.
Senate vows to repeal, enact laws to strengthen, PIA, local content
