Abuja, May 19, 2023 – The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Energy Commission of Nigeria Amendment Bill 2022 before handing he leaves office on May 29.
PENGASSAN, in a press statement on Friday signed by its President, Festus Osifo and Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, said the appeal was a sequel to the negligence of the Bill which was transmitted to the Office of the President on Nov. 28, 2022.
The association reminded President Buhari of the critical role of the Energy Commission of Nigeria in nation-building.
It said the commission was mandated to meet up with the energy demands of the country in critical areas, especially by sustaining energy development in the country.
PENGASSAN blamed the inability of the Energy Commission of Nigeria to perform its mandated duties on bureaucratic breakdowns with the various stakeholders and internal shortcomings.
It said that the situation had been costly for Nigeria’s energy sector, saying that the provisions of the current Act of the Energy Commission were no longer in tandem with the current realities in the energy sector, hence the request for the Amendment of the Energy Commission of Nigeria Bill,2022.
The association said this was the right time to strengthen the Energy Commission of Nigeria which had the mandate of producing strategic plans for the government in the energy sector in all ramifications.
PENGASSAN said that assenting to the Energy Bill, in addition to the Petroleum Industry Act already signed into law by President Buhari, would go a long way in repositioning the entire energy sector as well as the nation’s economy. (GBN)
