The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and the Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft are set to introduce five joint oil industry bills to address pressing sector challenges.
The Chairman of both Committees, Rep. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, disclosed this at a joint meeting on Tuesday, stating that the proposed bills are part of a legislative intervention to support national efforts in securing oil and gas assets and curbing crude oil theft.
Joint Oil Industry Bills Target Theft, Oversight Gaps
According to Doguwa, one of the joint oil industry bills seeks to establish a National Commission. The Commission will be empowered to prevent and prosecute pipeline vandalism and other oil sector-related crimes.
“The Committees and indeed the entire House are deeply concerned about the increasing insecurity and criminal activities around oil-producing areas. This intervention is a legislative response intended to complement government efforts in protecting these critical national assets,” he said.
Doguwa explained that the two committees – Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and the Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft- share a similar jurisdictional focus, particularly on crude oil production and export.
“In my view, these two committees essentially deal with the same core issue: crude oil. While one focuses on the theft and security aspect, the other covers the drilling and export processes. That’s why we’ve decided to meet jointly and work together on these legislative proposals,” he noted.
Speaker Backs Decommissioning Oversight in Joint Oil Industry Bills
The Chairman of the Committees, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, also revealed that the Speaker of the House is championing one of the joint oil industry bills. The bill falls under the Petroleum Resources (Upstream) Committee. It seeks to establish a Commission responsible for overseeing the decommissioning of oil assets. The decommissioning process has raised concerns among host communities and industry stakeholders.
“The decommissioning process is a major policy priority of the current administration, but there are gaps in oversight. That’s why the Speaker and other leaders of the House have shown interest in backing legislation that provides statutory authority and legal framework for a commission to manage this process, while also ensuring that the interests of host communities are taken into account,” Doguwa said.
He explained that different committee members will sponsor each of the five bills under review. However, the committees will present them collectively as committee-driven legislation. This joint oil industry bill strategy demonstrates a unified commitment to addressing challenges in the sector.
“These bills will bear the names of different committee members, but they are not individual efforts. They represent our collective commitment to addressing the challenges in the sector and fulfilling the expectations of the leadership, government, and the Nigerian people,” he concluded
For more information on legislative bills, visit: https://nass.gov.ng/documents/bills
You may also want to read about the House Committee on SEDC