Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and its sister agencies under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources have formally received and welcomed into their fold the two supervising Ministers inaugurated by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to oversee the affairs of the sector. They are the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources(Gas) Rt. Hon Ekperikpe Ekpo.

 

The duo were received at PTDF House, the PTDF headquarters in Abuja, by Ambassador Gabriel Tanimu Aduda, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, and the heads of the seven agencies that fall under its purview.

The Permanent Secretary who formally welcomed the two Ministers into the ministry assured them of the readiness and determination of all the agencies to give them all the necessary support, loyalty, and cooperation required to effectively discharge their mandate.

 

Ambassador Gabriel Tanimu Aduda said the ministry under their guidance will continue to play a crucial role as a policy shaper that is geared towards meeting the hopes and aspirations of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

 

“We are here to welcome these two exceptional individuals appointed by the President to lead the oil and gas industry under his visionary leadership and together we will embark on the journey that will ensure our crucial oil and gas industry is effectively managed with the utmost care, responsibility, and strategic vision”

 

He said the coming of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has introduced very reformative changes to governance, regulation, fiscal terms, and community engagement which they will have to strictly adhere to achieve both national gas and petroleum policies objectives in a robust, responsible and prosperous manner.

 

In their separate address, the two ministers of Petroleum Resources look forward to a greater working relationship with all the agencies under the ministry and tasked them to rise to the challenges of time by ensuring a robust oil and gas institution that will benefit the whole of Nigerians.

 

Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (OIL), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri whose main agenda he said is to increase production for greater economic prosperity promised to provide the leadership needed to move the oil sector to the next level. “I am here with just one agenda, increase production on a sustainable basis, and all of us must work together to achieve more production for the benefit of Nigerians. You are the expert and as a creek boy I am ready to provide leadership and I believe working together we can write a new story for this industry”.

 

Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon EkperiKpe Ekpo on his part promised to work with the agencies strategically and tirelessly to harness the untapped gas resources to stimulate domestic economic growth and job creation for the country.

 

“We will work to provide intentional and timely intervention to strengthen the internal gas value chain covering gas exploration, production, gas distribution, gas consumption as well as gas pricing. We will work to transform the sector and reverse the inflationary trend for the country thereby leading to measurable improvement in the living conditions of Nigerians”.

 

The agencies under the ministry whose chief executives received the two ministers include The Nigerian National Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigerian Mid and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, (NCDMB), Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority, (NNRA) and the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI).