Gas Flaring Is Criminal -Scientist

A scientist with the Institute of Petroleum Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Onwusameka Ogbowuokara, has described venting of natural gas as criminal under Nigeria’s law.
Ogbowuokara made this declaration in a presentation at the National Assembly (NASS), during a Public Hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), recently.
This follows a decision by NASS to set up a commission or an authority under the PIB to oversee the licensing to allow gas flaring
According to him, “any grants by a commission or authority to a license or lessee to allow the flaring or venting of natural gas is Criminal, under Section 107 of the PIB and  should be jettisoned”.
He reasoned that gas was poisonous and should attract commensurate fines and compensations from the lessee and to owners of the land respectively.
He said, “because gas is poisonous, any venting of gas under section 104  should attract a heavy fine from the commission and the lessee to occupiers and owners of the land, saying that  ”Section 204 of the PIB should be jettisoned”.
He suggested that, “occupiers or owners of the land should contribute the land to licensees as a factor of production. Let the occupiers or owners of the land receive returns to equity contribution. Let the returns to the equity contribution, which by now should be termed as investment, be 10 percent of profit after tax”.
Furthermore, he said the PIB should make provision for the establishment of a super fund for the benefit of future generations and urged the Federal Government to de-emphasise profiteering in governance, saying ”this 198 year old trend has not created any lasting value”.
Ogbowuokara demanded the relocation of  headquarters of Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, The Host Communities Trust Board and Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation  to the Niger Delta.