The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) will in the coming weeks, unveil a collaborative strategy called Maximum Economic Recovery (MER), aimed at strengthening the oil and gas industry as well as ensure the sustainability of the sector.
The Director of DPR, Mr. Sarki Auwalu, announced this in his keynote address at the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference (NOG 2021) holding in Abuja, with the theme: “Fortifying the Nigeria’s Oil Gas Industry for Economic Growth and Stability.”
Auwalu said the strategy would articulate key delivery programmes to guarantee stability, growth, and development of the industry in line with the federal government’s aspirations.
“As part of our mandate to strengthen industry and ensure sustainability, the Department will be unveiling an industry collaborative strategy for Maximum Economic Recovery (MER) for the Nigeria Oil & Gas sector within the next weeks.
“This strategy will articulate key delivery programmes to guarantee stability, growth, and development of the industry in line with Government aspirations whilst leveraging the National Oil and Gas Excellence Centre (NOGEC) commissioned by Mr. President in January this year as the techno-economic resource centre to drive industry safety, value, and cost efficiency,” he said.
He said as a department, the DPR would, “continue to foster collaboration, influence, facilitate, enable and promote industry growth, all for economic growth and in overriding national interest.”
Auwalu further stated that the DPR would contemplate five broad areas where the nation’s oil and Gas industry needed fortification to support national economic stability and growth.
He listed the five broad areas Legal, Institutional, Financial, In-sector Diversification, and Indigenous Capacity.
He said with the focused leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and the “steers” of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, the key fundamentals for industry growth were being emplaced.
Auwalu said on the legal front, the long-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has just been concurrently passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and awaits harmonisation, adding that it was envisaged that the president would assent to the bill that enhances clarity in legislative, regulatory, fiscal, and administrative framework.
According to him, “It is expected that the evolving commercial institution would be strengthened for efficiency, prudent management, financial stewardship, and operational excellence.
“By the same token, the regulatory institution should be structured to streamline roles, prevent duplication and promote consolidation which will engender regulatory clarity and ‘ease of doing business.”
He maintained that the overall industry financial position must necessarily improve for sustainability.
In addition, the director said the oil and gas production levels, tens of billions of dollars of additional investments were required for developments in deep offshore, inland and frontier basins, marginal field development as well as for gas infrastructure and gas-based industrial development.
Institute, Others to Train Farmers
The Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) and Premier Agribusiness Academy (PAA) have identified shortage of maize and soybean; which are the two most important ingredient used in poultry feed as the main factor crippling the poultry sector in Nigeria.
Registrar / CEO, Nigeria Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), Prof. Eustace Iyayi, while addressing stakeholders during a collaborative meeting held with Premier Agribusiness Academy (PAA) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Ibadan, Oyo state said, the unavailability of quality and affordable livestock feed to farmers could be attributed to the shortfall in local production of maize and soybean in the country.
According to him, it became imperative for NIAS to pay attention to livestock feed production in order to avoid livestock starvation, unprofitability and indebtedness of farmers especially those still struggling to remain in business.
He pointed out that the solution to the scarcity and high price of maize and soybean was to increase local production through farmer participation.
Iyayi explained that, if farmers can be properly trained on global best practices in feed production, individual farmers will be able to independently make quality feeds needed for his livestock consumption.
He appealed for the collaboration of IITA in this regard.
The DG, PAA, Francis Toromade assured that, PAA is ready to help train farmers on global most impactful practices (MIP) in maize and soybean production with the assistance of IITA.
According to him, IITA is renounced for quality research which has helped transform and develop agriculture practices all over the world.
Speaking on behalf of IITA, the Head, Capacity Development Office, Sougrynoma Zainatou Soré expressed readiness to work with PAA and NIAS by supplying research documents used by IITA in improving its yield per hectare for soybean production and maize.
She expressed confidence that with the professionalism and reputation of PAA in the conduct of agricultural trainings, farmers would soon have the ability to independently produce maize and soybean for their livestock feed and ameliorate the shortage of these critical produce in Nigeria.
The meeting which held at Capacity Development Office, IITA had also in attendance, Dr. Silvestro Meseka and Dr. Abush Tesfaye Abebe, who are Maize Associate Scientist and Soybean breeder respectively.
