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Tag: Prof Tam David-West

  • My grouse with PIB, by David-west

    My grouse with PIB, by David-west

    A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam David-West, Wednesday described the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as a rumbling bill which is faulty in many ways as it still stands.

    David-West bore his mind in a chat with The Nation Wednesday.

    According to the former minister, the title of the original draft of the bill contained 40 words. “So, it can’t be a serious bill.” He said.

    David-West, who is a professor of Virology, said the bill prescribes establishment of another Petroleum Training Institute in Kaduna, which he said would be a waste of resources, including manpower because the one in Effurun, Delta State is successful in its role.

    Besides, the former minister said the bill gives too much power to some individuals, including the oil minister. Should the bill be passed as it is, he said foreign oil partners in joint ventures will leave Nigeria which could collapse the industry.

    He added: “The bill is too political as it is. If it is passed like that, the industry will collapse. So, it should be looked into.”

    David-West also faulted highlight of the local content inclusion in the bill, saying it is not a new or great initiative.

    According to him, he, as Oil Minister in 1984, enforced it with foreign oil companies without making noise about it.

    His words: “Local content initiative has been in operation already. We did it without making noise about it when I was Oil Minister. I enforced it with the foreign companies then. I did not allow them bring any expatriate for any job for which there are skilled and qualified Nigerians. The companies signed the agreement with us and we enforced it. So, there is nothing new or great about it. The bill needs to be looked into before it is passed so that the oil industry in Nigeria will not collapse.”

     

  • Fuel importation, national embarrassment, says David-West

    Fuel importation, national embarrassment, says David-West

    Former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tam  David-West, has described continued importation of petroleum products as a national embarrassment, adding that it showed that the oil and gas industry is a “badly managed entity”.

    He said it was also a reflection of bad leadership that had encouraged corruption.

    David-West, who was minister under the military regime of former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) regretted that since the construction of the 150, 000 barrel per day (bpd) Port- Harcourt Refinery II in the 80s, no other refinery had been built in spite of the huge revenue that had accrued from the sector and the  number of fuel users in the country.

    On the crash of crude oil price, David-West, who is also a retired professor of virology, argued that the government should have by now, reduced the pump price of petrol. He based his argument on the government’s reason while increasing fuel pump price in 2012 that it was due to the landing costs of the commodity.

    He asked rhetorically: “Now that crude oil price has crashed considerably, it, therefore, should translate to a reduction in the landing cost. So, why has the pump price not been reduced locally?”

    David-West said the failure of the government to reduce the pump price of petroleum products is an indication of government’s insensitivity to the citizens’ plight, adding that from all indications, a litre of fuel should not sell for more than N40 locally, insisting that the price of N97 per litre is a complete rip-off of the public.

    He said: “There is no justification for not reducing the pump price of fuel. What the Federal Government is doing by not reducing the pump price is to transfer the financial burden they created on the public in the hope of using the excess proceed on the product to make up for the mis-managed wealth of the country. It is clear that the government is not taking care of the people and that is bad governance.”

    He said in the wake of the price crash, countries, such as America had cut  their local pricing. David-West’s position was validated by the recent reduction in the fuel price in Kenya by the country’s Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

    ERC’s mandate, which is to ensure the regulation of electrical energy, petroleum and related products, renewable energy and other forms of energy, also protects the interest of consumers, investor and other stakeholders.

    In reducing the price, the ERC was said to have noted the weighted average cost of imported refined petroleum products, which made it possible for the reduction of super petrol by 9.13 Kenyan shillings, while diesel and kerosene went down by 7.50 and 5.78 shillings. The fuel price drop is the highest since the ERC was set up four years ago. Super petrol is down to 92 Kenyan shillings per litre; Diesel is at 83 Kenyan shillings per litre, while Kerosene is down to 65 Kenyan shillings.

  • David-West warns Asari-Dokubo against inciting comments

    David-West warns Asari-Dokubo against inciting comments

    A former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tam David-West, has warned Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo against inflammatory statements on the presidential election.

    Asari-Dokubo said at the weekend that Jonathan had already won the election. He said he did not owe anyone an apology for the comment.

    The ex-minister told The Nation yesterday that Asari-Dokubo’s statement suggested that they knew Jonathan would rig the election.

    He warned that any attempt to rig the poll would plunge Nigeria into trouble because the world was expecting a free and fair election.

    David-West said Nigerians knew the difficulties the country was going through, adding that they wanted a change.

    His words: “The President should call Asari-Dokubo to order. He is not helping Jonathan’s cause. What Asari-Dokubo’s declaration implies is that he already knows that Jonathan will rig the election. If we don’t have a free and fair election next year, the country will be in trouble. The world is expecting a free and fair poll.

    “Nigerians are tired of rigging. Election malpractices are antithetical to democratic ethos. Anyone, who loves Nigeria, should pray for a free and fair election.”

    David-West noted that Asari-Dokubo abused the northerners by calling them parasites.

    He said no candidate could win a presidential election without carrying the North and the South along.

    The former minister said Jonathan faced a hurdle at the polls because people were determined to effect a change next year.

  • Only Buhari can stop insurgency, says David-West

    Only Buhari can stop insurgency, says David-West

    A former Minister of Petroleum, Prof Tam David-West, has said a presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen Muhammadu Buhari, has the capability to end insurgency in the country.

    He spoke when the National Coordinator of Grassroots Mobilisation for Muhammadu Buhari (GMMB), Remi Oyebanji, visited to tell him of their proposed symposium “The President Nigeria Needs”.

    David-West said: “It’s only Buhari who can stop Boko Haram because he has done it before, he has a track record.

    “Maitasine was worse than Boko Haram and he stopped it, which is why Nigerians should vote for him.

    “The Federal Government is just making unnecessary noise about stopping insurgency.  We have a President who claims he knows the sponsors of Boko Haram and he is yet to tackle them.

    “Boko Haram can be stopped if the government wants it to stop. Insurgency will stop if the government wants it to stop. Government can fight insurgency but bad governance will make it impossible.”

    The former minister said if Buhari becomes president, within 100 days the price of petrol will be reduced, adding that the Jonathan administration is the hallmark of incompetence and bad leadership.

    He said: “The general election may be turbulent, if there is rigging, the country may be in chaos. If the people are not allowed to vote for their candidates, the problems will be so much that the President will not be able to contain it. If there is rigging in 2015, the heat will be so much.

    “Except corruption is expunged, Nigeria cannot move forward and the only person who can do that in Nigeria today is General Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Only Buhari is clean, he is the only leader who has challenged his opponents to prove that he is not corrupt and they are yet to do that.”

    Commenting on Buhari’s age, the don said:” People came up and said he is too old to contest. He is very young when compared to President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who is 90 years old. Buhari will be 73 next year, I am older than him. The constitution did not state a specific age limit.”

    Oyebamiji described David-West as one of the most consistent Nigerians who always stand on the truth.

    “He is a role model and his students can testify to this. That is why we have visited him to brief him on our proposed symposium on Gen Buhari.

    “Buhari’s humble lifestyle is a brand and his return is a response to the painful cry of all Nigerians. He is coming back to transform this country by 2015.

    “It’s painful that the youth don’t know what Buhari has done for this country, if not they would have also demanded for Buhari. If Buhari can only get the votes of Southwest people, then he has won already,” he said.