Hon. Evelyn Oboro on a One- on -One Interview with Hallowmace, Has this TO SAY TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE passage OF THE Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun Bill..... Read the Full interview below
HallowMace:
When did you sponsor the FUPRE Bill and what is it about?
Hon. Oboro:I
was in the 7th Assembly and during the life span of that Assembly, I sponsored
a Bill, entitled A Bill for an Act to Establish the Federal University of
Petroleum Resources and Other matters Connected therewith, and the Bill was
passed but was not assented to by former
president Goodluck Jonathan and as God would have it, I was lucky to come back
as a member of the 8th Assembly, and this same Bill was re-introduced by me
passed through second reading, was referred to the committee for consideration
and to God be the glory, On (17-5-2016) the Bill was considered and was
passed by the House of Representatives.
HallowMace: What
is the meat of the Bill?
Hon. Oboro:
The University has been in existence for more than 10 years, I was a Local Govt
Chairman when the school was established and the former President Olusegun
Obasanjo constituted a Committee which comprises of the then Minister of
Petroleum, I think MD of NNPC and then I think it was a 6 man committee and the
establishment of the school was without the necessary legal backing, there was
no enabling law backing the Certificates issued from the school and students
have graduated but as I speak to you their Certificates are not backed up by
law. And then the purpose for the establishment of the school is to train
manpower personnel that would act or work at the Apex level of the Oil and Gas
industry. If you consider the local content Bill, this people can work and
achieve the local content Law, which was enacted to provide citizens of this
country to work and attain the highest positions in the industry but these
Multinationals, when they come, they bring in their expatriates and then they
relegate our citizens with higher degrees to work under their people from
abroad and most times with inferior degrees. But in setting up the University
with enabling laws would attract foreign students who will even come and study
here and reduce the cost of our students going abroad to study.
China established one 63 years ago, India established one
not long ago, Nigeria still send students abroad when we can train them here .
The natural resources we have, the Petroleum resources we have today most of
the products are not properly utilized.
After refinement most of the considered waste products
can be used to produce some other products and that is why we need an enabling
law to back up the Petroleum University.
This is the duty of the National Assembly, to enact law,
more so in the absence of a Federal University in Delta State and so therefore
attempts to give the school the required legal backing is not out of place.
It is something that ought to have been done before now
but you know administrative bottleneck.
This Bill came up for consideration in the House of
Representatives not the first time but because of the plethora of other
important Bills associated to such endeavours.
But to God be the glory it has been passed today
(17-5-2016).
So the Senate would just have to concur.
It is on record, that I am the sponsorer of this Bill in
both the 7th and 8th Assembly.
HallowMace:
What were the challenges you had to grapple with?
Hon. Oboro: In
the Bill, one of the clauses was that the institution should be placed under
the Ministry of Petroleum Resources but was made to understand that because it
is about Education, it has to come under the Ministry of Education for
effective supervision.
It is not an industry but after much debate and argument.
Unlike the Petroleum training institute, this is a Federal University. That was
a challenge.
HallowMace:
Now that the Bill has been passed by the House of Representatives, what next?
Hon. Oboro: A
clean copy of the Bill would be sent to the Senate for concurrence. That is the
way to go, which is parliamentary procedure the world over where you have a
bi-cameral legislature.
HallowMace:
Don’t you think with the Senate Public hearing, the Bill is bound to suffer
some reversals?
Hon. Oboro: No.
the Bill sponsored by me has been passed. It would be sent to the Senate for
concurrence. When the Bill gets to the Senate, it shall be committed for
consideration. It is an old Bill, it is not a new Bill. The journey started by
me culminated in the passage of the Bill in the House of Representatives today
(17-5-2016)
HallowMace: We
need to know that the Senate had a public hearing today (17-5-2016) about the
issue. What does that portend?
Hon. Oboro: Well,
I don’t want to be confrontational, the procedure is clear. It originated here
and it has to be sent to the Senate for concurrence. That is the standard
procedure.
Now that the Bill is passed which was sponsored by me,
the Bill shall be endorsed by Mr. Speaker and sent over to the Senate for
concurrence.
HallowMace:
But there is need to clear the Air?
Hon. Oboro: How?
I sponsored the Bill, the journey started in the last Assembly and culminated
in the passage of the Bill and what is happening next is for it to be sent to
the Senate for concurrence. A public hearing in the Senate about a Bill already
passed by me?It does not need any more public hearing.
You don’t abort a baby after its birth.
HallowMace:
well, let us take you back to the public hearing which happened in the Senate.
One of the respondents claimed that the original vision for the school was for
it to train middle cadre oil and gas workers. Is that the case?
Hon. Oboro: My Bill stands for both middle and senior
cadre officers to be availed with professional and academic programmes leading
to the attainment of first, advanced and research degrees. It is all
encompassing with emphasis on planning.
HallowMace: Do
you think that the present government would give the Bill the required
political backing?
Hon. Oboro: going
by the statement made by the Minister for Petroleum, this present
administration is interested in building up of new refineries both private and
public. The manpower to administer these refineries are going to be trained in
the University. It would do the government good to ensure that the school is
given the necessary backing in realizing its mandate, especially as regards
manpower training for the oil and gas sector.
HallowMace:
Regardless of what you have done so far, why did the Senate still go ahead with
a public hearing on a Bill already passed?
Hon. Oboro: take
a look at this journal, it is entitled the National Assembly journal and not
the House of Representatives journal and the Bill is already listed. Take a
look. The first listed dated 2014 and the second listed dated 2016, the first
item listed is the Bill which proves that the Bill is not recent and was
sponsored by me and every member of the National Assembly has access to it. It
is a public document.
HallowMace: Do
you envisage that your effort might go down the drain against the backdrop of
increased Militancy in the Niger Delta?
Hon. Oboro: No. it would not. Am not in support of
violence or pipeline vandalism but I must plead with the present administration
to look into the issues and find a means of bridging the gap. The Govt. should
reach out to all stakeholders regardless of political affiliations.
HallowMace: Congratulations
on the passage of the Bill, what other dividends of democracy do you have for
your people.
Hon. Oboro: I
would continue to strive for the best for my constituents both through
legislative intervention and otherwise. I would help establish skills
acquisition centres for training and there overall empowerment. I equally would
approach Delta State Government to access take off grants for my people.
HallowMace:
Let us take you back to the lack of synergy between the House of
Representatives and Senate, How can this be resolved?
Hon. Oboro: Well,
good enough the Bill has been passed, the Senate would be informed, let us
assume they are not aware but like I maintain, this is a journal of the
National Assembly and not the House of Representatives. They would be informed.
HallowMace:
What message do you have for your constituents?
Hon. Oboro: they
should continue to be peaceful, they should continue to be law abiding and
should depend on God and pray for us.s
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