The Federal Government inaugurated the steering committee that would implement the Petroleum Industry Act ( PIA).
This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, at the inauguration on Thursday in Abuja.
What the Minister said:
“To get to this desired end, deliberate effort must be made to implement the law in a manner that best achieves the stated objectives in line with the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians whose lives will be impacted by the consequences of our decisions and actions,’’ Sylva said.
He added that the implementation structure is made up of a system that was approved by the Presidency which is made up of the Steering Committee and the Implementation Working Group/Coordinating Secretariat, citing that the Steering Committee has the job of effective and timely implementation of the law in the course of transition to the new petroleum industry envisaged in the reform programme.
“To approve or ratify the appointment s of consultants who will support the Implementation Working Group/Coordinating Secretariat; to approve all recommendations for the institutional design and personnel movements as envisaged by the Law.
“To coordinate timely preparation of appropriate model licences, leases and regulations including reviews and endorsements for presidential approval; to approve all recommendations of actions or outcomes required to implement any provision of the law.
“And to do all such things as may be necessary and appropriate to give effect to and implement any provision of the law as approved by Mr President,’’ he said.
Members of the Steering Committee include Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources as Chairman, Dr Soni Gwarzo, Permanent Secretary, Petroleum Resources and Malam Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Others are Muhammad Nami, Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Services, Dr Nuhu Habib, Senior Special Assistant to President on Natural Resources, representative of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
Others are representative of the Ministry of Justice, Mr Olufemi Lijadu, External Legal Adviser and Dr Bello Aliyu Gusau, Executive Secretary, PTDF – Head of the Implementation Working Group/Coordinating Secretariat.
Sylva added that the Implementation Working Group/Coordinating Secretariat has the onerous task of developing the briefs that would be presented to the Steering Committee for consideration and approval.
He also added that the briefs will cover all the relevant subject matters contemplated by the law, including the design of the institutions, personnel movements, development of procedures and processes for the institutions, model contracts and Regulations and generally providing legal advice on implementation matters.
“To ensure that the Steering Committee is in the position to get quality briefs from the Implementation Working Group/Coordinating Secretariat, the latter has been organised into four workstreams,’’ Sylva said.
The four workstreams are legal, coordination & planning, communications and stakeholder management, administration and finance.
