Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva on Wednesday assured anxious staff of scrapped agencies to calm down as there were no plans to sack them.
The defunct agencies are; Department of Petroleum Resources, Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and Petroleum Equalisation Fund; and have now been absorbed by the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Downstream and Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, which were created by the PIA to regulate the oil and gas industry.
Sylva’s assurance, which came during various meetings with employees of the affected agencies, restored peace to the hitherto worried workers.
He said, “We assure you that this is a very normal transition. The PIA has been passed and the law stipulates that certain actions must be taken.
“That the DPR, as it was then, must be wound down and two successor agencies are to be inaugurated. And, of course, I had to step down as Chairman of NNPC. It is all because this is what the law states.
“But I want to assure you that the staff have nothing to worry about because the law is very clear also on the position of the staff of DPR, PEF and PPPRA.”
He added, “No job is to be lost in this process, no remuneration is to be lost in this process. Of course, the process is ongoing, as the had President inaugurated the implementation committee.
“You must realise that this transition is by law and, of course, you must give the cooperation you gave to the previous leadership to these current leaders.”
Also, at the headquarters of the defunct PEF, Sylva stated that the liabilities of the agency had been passed onto the new authority, adding that this was also the same for all liabilities of the PPPRA.
SOURCE: sunnewsonline.com