Abuja, February 1, 2024
The Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) in a bid to foster value-driven collaboration and strategic dialogue between the petroleum industry and the legislative arm of the government, embarked on a courtesy visit to the National Assembly on Wednesday, 31st January, 2024.
The delegation, led by the President of the Association, Mr. Abiodun Ogunjobi met with the Chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees for Petroleum Resources.
At the meeting, issues affecting the petroleum and exploration landscape in Nigeria were discussed. The issues ranged from regulatory frameworks to environmental concerns, current realities, and the role of the national assembly in enacting pieces of legislation that would engender a robust and efficient energy industry.
The NAPE delegation also highlighted the opportunities, current realities, and challenges and stated that NAPE as the knowledge base of the industry,is committed to working with the National Assembly’s Committees on Upstream Petroleum to create optimum value for our God given resources and to create the required infrastructure to deploy natural gas as our transition fuel.
At the meeting with the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Eteng Jonah Williams,the discussions focused on aligning policies that would foster growth and development within the petroleum sector. Senator Williams commended NAPE for promoting professionalism,ideas and best practices within the petroleum industry . He assured the NAPE delegation of the Senate Committee’s dedication to ensuring that legislative frameworks are in place to support the growth of the industry while maintaining environmental and ethical standards. He also welcomed the idea of a collaborative forum where discussions will be focused on ways of moving the industry forward in Nigeria.
At the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources, Rt. Honorable Alhassan Ado Doguwa, OON, and his deputy Prince Sesi Whingah commended NAPE for their proactive approach in reaching out to the legislative arm of government. Mr. Doguwa acknowledged the challenges faced by the petroleum industry and pledged the Committee ‘s commitment to working collaboratively towards finding sustainable solutions while expressing their willingness to receive valuable inputs for their Committee.
The NAPE delegation consisted of some members of its executive committee led by its president, Mr. Abiodun Ogunjobi, FNAPE the President-Elect, Mr. Johnbosco Uche, FNAPE; Vice President, Mr. Ehi Bazuaye,FNAPE; Publicity Secretary, Mr. Austin Mgbemere; Assistant General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Mallah, also in the delegation, were two past presidents of the Association Mr. Alex Tarka,FNAPE, and Mr. Ajibola Oyebamiji,FNAPE, others were Mr. Zanna Muktar,FNAPE, Mr. Babajide Fasina, Mrs. Bukola Bankole and Mr. Lawrence Osuagwu .
The courtesy visit by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists to the National Assembly marks a significant step towards building a stronger partnership between the petroleum industry and legislative stakeholders. It reflects a commitment to collaboration in addressing the challenges and harnessing the opportunities within the sector for the benefit of the nation
