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 exiting power on May 29, in view of the critical role that the commission plays in nation building.
The senior oil workers’ union said that the commission was expected to meet up with Nigeria’s energy demands in critical areas, especially by sustaining energy development in Africa’s biggest economy.
In a statement signed by Festus Osifo, president, and Lumumba, Okugbawa, secretary-general of PENGASSAN respectively, the union appealed to Buhari to give assent to the bill which was transmitted to the office of the president on November 28, 2022.
It blamed the inability of the energy commission to perform its mandated duties on “bureaucratic breakdowns with the various stakeholders and internal shortcomings”, stressing that the situation has been costly for the nation’s energy sector.
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It further noted that the provisions of the current Act of the Energy Commission of Nigeria were no longer in tandem with the present realities in the energy sector, hence the request for the amendment bill, 2022.
They urged the president to assent to the amended bill, as “this is the right time to strengthen the energy commission which has the mandate of producing strategic plans for the government in the sector in all ramifications.
PENGASSAN further contended that assenting to the energy bill in addition to the Petroleum Industry Act already signed into law by the president will go a long way in repositioning the energy sector as well as the nation’s economy.
