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By Madu Obi
Stakeholders in the oil and gas industry have advocated for transparency and accountability in the sector, saying that petroleum resources should be a blessing and not a curse to Nigerians.
They spoke in Awka during a town hall meeting to discuss the implementation of host communities' provisions in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Those in attendance at the meeting include representatives from the government, Civil Society Organizations, and oil producing communities.
The Executive Director of Centre LSD, Monday Osasah, who is one of the facilitators, said it was a significant step towards ensuring that petroleum resources benefit the host communities.
We won't have it better than this. Petroleum should be a blessing to us, not a curse", Osasah said.
He commended the Anambra State Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Anthony Ifeanya, for his vision and commitment to ensure that the state's oil resources were sustainably managed.
In his speech, Ifeanya hailed the Centre LSD for coming to educate the people of the state on issues in the oil and gas sector.
According to him, the knowledge provided by the Centre LSD would help to prevent the ugly incidents that happened in Niger Delta from happening in Anambra.
President of International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre (IPCRC), Prince Chris Azor, said the engagement was geared towards discussing the effective implementation of host communities' provisions in the Petroleum Industry Act with the desire for peace, security and sustainable development.
He listed expected outcomes of the meeting to include improved understanding of PIA and host communities' provisions, enhanced stakeholder engagement, as well as collaboration, identification of priority areas, clarifications and action plan.
He said: "The town hall meeting emphasizes on ways of Implementing host communities provisions in the PIA to facilitate a collaborative interface among Investors, host communities, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Anambra State.
The PIA aims to promote sustainable development and address concerns of host communities in the petroleum industry.
Anambra State, as the newest admission into oil producing states in Nigeria, presents issues around capacity building to engage the PIA.
The meeting provides a platform for stakeholders to engage, share experiences, seek clarity and identify solutions for successful implementation.
It was also an opportunity to enhance understanding of host communities' provisions in the PIA to ensure seamless implementation and foster collaboration and trust among stakeholders towards effective implementation.
Stakeholders are expected to identify priority areas for engagement, develop a joint action plan and timeline, strengthen relationships and build trust for sustainable development to increase awareness on environmental and social responsibilities."
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