Recall that the President signed the Petroleum Industry Bill into law on the August 16, 2021.

I schooled at the Petroleum Training Institute. You know what that mean? We were trained on the engineering, economics, and politics of the petroleum industry. I had the opportunity to interact with the owners and the controllers of the petroleum resources in the different states of the federation. We daily talked about the hopes and the despairs of being from an oil community. The Ogoni struggle, Ken Saro Wiwa, gas flaring, were our everyday gist back then. So I got so interested in the oil enterprise at a very young age.

Also, as at the time the Petroleum Industry Bill was drafted I owned my personal hard copy which I read line by line, page by page. I was by then an intern at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and part of my experience was to understand all existing laws in the Nigerian petroleum industry as well as international charter and conventions. I owned a hard copy of the Petroleum Act 1969 which I studied between lines. The petroleum industry bill, to us that saw the original version, was to be the best thing to happen to the Nigerian oil sector, the host community and the nation at large. It was to be a legal framework that harmonizes all extant laws hitherto operating the sector into one document. Hopes were high. We wished the bill was passed into law the next second.

I seriously wonder if it that bill that is now passed into law and it look like nothing happened.
Maybe Nigerians, like myself, from Niger-Delta have experienced things that were highly anticipated but turned out to be a mere ritual.
To me this law might be like one of those things that just happen for happening sake without any or much impact on the masses. I would point a few examples:

1. Where is the impact of the 13percent oil derivation on the oil producing states: I remembered how as PTI students then we wished the struggle for 13% came speedily. Kudos to Victor Attah, James Ibori, and Peter Odili, that fought for the actualization of that. But where is the impact on the masses? My state still rank up in unemployment.
2. Where is the impact of Niger Delta Ministry: The only thing all of us know is the Minister of Niger Delta who by now must have greatly increase his net worth but we don’t seem to be aware of any ministry as such. We thought, if we could just have a separate ministry to oversee the affairs of the oil rich region then that would mean heaven on earth.
3. Where is the impact of stopping gas flaring: It might interest you to know that the cooking gas (LPG) that is now sold at an exorbitant price is waste gas of the oil sector. We dreamt that if it could only be harnessed we would cook free 24 hours with LPG and enjoy electricity free from Natural gas plant. Gas flaring has ceased, the waste gas is now converted to LPG, LNG, and CNG, but can we afford it as Nigerians. Can we access it?

These and many more do make me skeptical about this new law and I ask, why can’t Nigerians benefit from Nigeria?

By Idongesit F. Oduok
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It's quite a sad time being a Nigerian.