Nigeria’s newest oil producing state, Anambra, today made its stand on the controversial Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) known at a public interactive session in the neighbouring state of Enugu.

Presenting the position of the state to the National Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on the PIB at the South-East zonal sitting, the Secretary to the Government (SSG) Oseloka Obaze, urged the lawmakers to ensure that Nigerians have a sense of ownership of the PIB.

He said the PIB “must in its entirety be germane to our collective interest” and “in tandem with our Constitution.”
Obaze noted that Anambra State with it large deposit of gas, supports the frontier exploration provisions of the PIB. He called on the federal authorities to assist Anambra, which was officially declared an oil producing state last August, in developing its large gas deposit through partnership between the government and private investors.
SSG Obaze noted that beneficiaries of the Petroleum Host Community Funds must include those communities hosting oil wells, pipelines, flow stations, etc. He observed that while Anambra oil wells were in the Aguleri axis, Orient Refinery is in the Nsugbe area, hence Nsugbe environs also need to be protected.

Finally, he urged the National Assembly to ensure that oil companies had clear Community Reinvestment Initiatives, (CRI) and discharged their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR).

•Photo shows Anambra SSG Obaze present the state’s position on the PIB before the committee during its sitting, today in Enugu.