Govt enjoins lawyers to assist in regulation enforcement in petroleum industry
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Federal government is seeking the collaboration of legal practitioners in the country to swift and efficient enforcement of regulations across the country’s petroleum industry where the need for effective compliance has become necessary.
The Authority Chief Executive at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, whose remarks were delivered at the recent General Counsel and Legal Advisers Forum in Abuja reiterated the neefd for legal synergy and compliance in Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum sectors.
Engr Ahmed who was represented at the event by Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure at the NMDPRA, Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, declared that the role of legal practitioners has become critical in promoting optimal regulatory compliance to all set rules and standards of operations in the sector.
He emphasized the importance of a unified compliance culture rooted in robust legal frameworks, transparency, and shared responsibility.
“As a result of the feedback received from our stakeholders on the need to strengthen regulatory compliance through simplified and clearer regulations for the midstream and downstream operations, NMDPRA is implementing an inclusive stakeholder process to mitigate the complexities of navigating and implementing numerous Regulations’’ he said.
The forum was hosted by the NMDPRA to ensure that the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 remains a “living document,” enabling sustainable growth, compliance, and innovation by bringing together all Lawyers operating in the sector.
The Theme of the Forum is; “Advancing A Collaborative Compliance Culture in Nigeria’s Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Sectors’’.
