The Department of Petroleum Resources [DPR] has identified multiplicity of regulatory agencies for the oil and gas industry as well as inadequate funding and facilities to support effective monitoring as some of the challenges which are currently facing the agency in its quest to perform its statutory roles
DPR’s Director of Petroleum Resource, Mr. Andrew Obaje however assured that notwithstanding these challenges, the department will continue to serve as the watchdog for the development of the Nigeria’s oil and gas resources by employing modern tools and techniques to direct, influence and achieve the optimum exploitation, conservation and utilization of petroleum and its derivatives for the maximum benefit to Nigerians while ensuring minimal damage to the environment.
"Inspite of these challenges, the department will continue to serve as the watchdog for the development of Nigeria’s oil & gas resources by employing modern tools and techniques to direct, influence and achieve the optimum exploitation, conservation and utilization of petroleum and its derivatives for the maximum benefit of Nigerians while ensuring minimal damage to the environment”.
"We are aware that this places enormous responsibility on the Department to ensure that all oil & gas activities are carried out in accordance with established sustainable development practice which places side by side the economic objectives, sociological and good environmental practices".
Obaje, said this in Lagos last week at a media parley ahead of DPR’s 14th Biennial International Conference on Health,Safety and Environment in the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria with the theme: “Managing Health Challenges in the Oil and Gas Industry” scheduled for November 1st to 3rd, 2010 in Abuja.
According to him, the primary objective of the conference s to create awareness in environmental protection and control and promote sustainable development in the petroleum industry.
“The DPR recognized early in mid 1970s that we ought to manage and develop our hydrocarbon resources in a sustainable manner in order to reduce to the barest minimum, any oil activity – related degradation of the environment”, he said, even as he stressed that DPR will continue to bring about a total commitment by all stakeholders to the set agenda, which will guarantee a clean and sustainable environment for all at all times.
“We are aware that this places enormous responsibility on the Department to ensure that all oil and gas activities are carried out in accordance with established sustainable development practices which places side by side the economic objectives, sociological and good environmental practices.
“The regulatory regimes on environmental management have evolved from a period of indiscriminate environmental pollution through the period of controlled pollution and now zero tolerance. There have been aggressive and evolving environmental control mechanisms to eliminate reduce and mitigate the consequences of environmental degradation”.
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