INTERVIEW THE WAY FORWARD FOR NIGERIA PETROLEUM AND GAS INDUSTRYENGR. (DR.) PRENCE SAMSON ERIBONATIONAL SECRETARY, Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas HOSCON.

He spoke with  Wilson Macaulay our correspondent in warri Delta StateQuestion;  Tell me about yourselfAnswer;My name is Prence Samson Eribo. I hail from Ugo in Orhionmwon LGA and Benin-City in Edo State. I am an Engineer, a Computer Scientist, a Business Administrator, Energy and Petroleum Economist by profession, education, and training. I am currently the National Secretary of Host Communities of Nigeria (Producing Oil and Gas) HOSCON.Question;What is The Way Forward for the Petroleum Sector of Nigerian Economy?Answer;First we must put our refineries in order because we have the wherewithal to do so. Let’s make the refineries functional. The Federal Government should encourage private investors to establish Modular Refineries and Petrochemical Plants all across the eleven (11) Oil Producing States in Nigeria instead of waiting for Dangote to be the sole supplier of petroleum products in Nigeria, which is a wrong economic decision on the part of government.The issue of finance should not be a challenge because if we have N450 Billion Naira to purchase Covid-19 Vaccine for Nigerians that may not be of interest to Nigerians, why we cannot boast of any standard hospital all over the country. Part of that money can be used to give us 37 Standard Hospitals of N10 Billion Naira each per state and the Federal Capital Abuja inclusive which will amount to about N370 Billion and we will still have a balance of the money.On the four (4) Refineries in Nigeria, there is need to carry out restructuring in all the Refineries, because there are “round pegs in square holes” because the leadership of our refineries are incompetent set of people or personnel. The criteria used for appointing the current leadership of the Refineries have been based on religious, political and tribal sentiments, which are the prerequisites used to recruit the people managing of our refineries. This is what has brought our refineries to a comatose.Question;What is the way forward?Answer;I will recommend a management team to be appointed by government in collaboration with the major oil companies to manage all four refineries. These four major oil companies (Shell, Chevron, Mobil, Agip or Total) can be given the concession to manage and operate the four refineries e.g. Shell for Warri Refinery and Petrochemical, Chevron for second Port-Harcourt Refinery and Petrochemical, ExxonMobil for the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical, while Agip or Total for the first Port-Harcourt Refinery, to make them function optimally to capacity.I will emphasize that PMB and the Federal Government of Nigeria should encourage indigenous investors to establish Modular Refineries, Gas Processing Plants, Petrochemical Plants and Power Plants in the country. The government should also give incentives to encourage the indigenous investors in the oil and gas sector of the economy.Government should eradicate the multiple taxation system inherent in our present system of governance. We must be seen to be serious in directing the agencies charged with the responsibility to prone it down, so that Nigerian investors can have a respite from the taxes which is pulling their interest from the profit zone and to encourage the ease of doing business in Nigeria.Most importantly PMB should fight corruption to a standstill in the Oil and Gas sector of the economy by removing all the bad eggs and corrupt officers in NNPC, DPR, Petroleum Resources Ministry, the Nigerian Local Content and Monitoring Board which are not alive to their responsibilities.As a matter of urgent National interest the PPPRA should be scrapped as they have no value or gain to contribute to Nigerian economy. Otherwise I would want to speak on those Private Depots owners which are responsible for the current rise in the cost of Petroleum Pump Price of Petroleum Products in Nigeria. The Private Depot / Tank Farm owners consider expenses which translate into cost added to pump price. The government should be responsive in ensuring that the petroleum products are distributed nationwide through the effective management of the Pipeline Network, NNPC Depots / Pumping Stations. This is because pipeline can effectively be monitored electronically through the Integrated Pipeline Network Monitoring System as it is being practiced in Dubai, UAE. In fact only refining companies should be given the opportunity to own Tank Farms because of resources to manage such facilities which end up as an additional cost to the Pump price of Petroleum products. The way Nigeria is now, I will strongly suggest that government should established International Standard Hospital in each of the States in Nigeria including FCT, revamp and equip all Teaching Hospitals Nationwide, because the issue of health in Nigeria has become that of International embarrassment, because of the level of poverty in Nigeria.There is need for government to tackle the issue of hunger seriously by taking hunger out of poverty. This is by empowering Nigerians and provision of quality jobs for Nigerians but “not contract jobs”. Health facilities should be readily available for all strata of Nigerian population because health is wealth. Honestly speaking, medical and health facilities are immensely becoming extremely difficult for most Nigerians to access quality healthcare, hence there is need for the government to come up with a deliberate “Policy Trust” to enable Nigerians to live a healthy and quality life because it is healthy minds that build a healthy Nation.