Oil workers reject PIB

Meanwhile, oil workers in the industry’s three regulatory agencies have rejected the redrafted Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) soon to be presented to the National Assembly, saying it neglects their welfare.

The PIB, which seeks to provide the governance and institutional framework for the petroleum industry, is to replace the one passed by the Seventh Assembly but which was not assented by the president.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Dr. Ibe Kachikwu had said the old bill could not meet the yearnings of value-addition to the oil industry. However, workers in the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF), yesterday said, if allowed to be passed into law, the bill, will lead to job cuts in some of the regulatory agencies.

The workers, in a petition signed by PENGASSAN Chairman, PPPRA Chapter, Victor Ononokpono, along with his DPR counterpart, Garba Bello, and PEF, Aminu Ahmed, said the bill must not be allowed to scale through without taking care of the anomalies contained in it.

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