The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says that a total of 48 dispute cases in the oil and gas industry have been resolved since the inauguration of its Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre.
This follows the establishment of the centre in January 2021, and subsequent inauguration in April 2021, as one of the centres in the National Oil and Gas Excellence Centre.
The centre was set up with the principal aim of providing a platform where disputes in the industry could be settled in a timely, cost-effective, and mutually agreeable manner.
This disclosure was made by DPR’s Director/Chief Executive Officer, Sarki Auwalu, on Friday, July 16, 2021, while speaking at the Petroleum Club’s second-quarter business dinner sponsored by AA holdings.
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What the Director/Chief Executive Officer of DPR is saying
Auwalu said that the centre had received many cases from operators across the country.
He said, “The centre is involved in mediation, reconciliation and arbitration. After the inauguration of the centre, we resolved about 48 cases, and right now, we have over 223 cases.
“Notable among them is the first case that we resolved which had been on for 18 years. It was resolved by simple mediation.”
Auwalu had said in April that the establishment of the centre would ensure the settlement of disputes through the use of industry experts with an in-depth understanding of the issues before them for quick resolutions in the overall interest of industry players, stakeholders and the nation.
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The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) had a few days ago, announced that it will in the coming weeks, launch a collaborative strategy called Maximum Economic Recovery (MER), aimed at strengthening the oil and gas industry as well as ensure the sustainability of the sector.
The strategy is expected to articulate key delivery programmes to guarantee stability, growth, and development of the industry in line with the federal government’s aspirations.