Trade Ministry Seeks Amendment to PIA, Targets N1bn Revenue

There are indications that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has put machinery in motion to push for the amendment of the newly passed Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to address certain conflicts with the mandate of the Weights and Measures Department particularly in the area of pre-shipment inspection activities at the crude oil terminals.

Director, Weights and Measures Department, Mr. Hassan Ejibunu stated this during his maiden meeting with management staff as well as state and zonal coordinators of the department in Abuja.

He also said that the federal government had issued a marching order to the department to improve on its revenue generation efforts to achieve the over N1 billion target before the end of the year.

He said as of July, the department had generated over N357 million to the federal government, working with limited tools.

Ejibunu, said the ministry is, however, working assiduously towards a possible amendment to the Act to ensure that the mandates of the department as provided for in Item 65 of the Nigerian Constitution and other legal instruments are not hampered.

He said,” We are confident that Mr. President will endorse the amendments to the PIA as being proposed by the ministry.”

He said the department has the mandate to ensure that the interest of consumers and producers of goods and services are well protected through the instrumentality of legal metrology.

He said the government has taken steps to ensure that staff are motivated to redouble efforts on their job.

To this end, the director said among other things, approval had been granted for the purchase of 14 operational vehicles to ameliorate the challenges encountered on field assignments.

He said, “Nigeria is so blessed with other mineral resources and it is in the interest of the country to promote the non-oil sector and weights and measures is one of the means of promoting the non-oil sector so that Nigeria can derive the appropriate foreign exchange from that.

“The ministry is working to give us the necessary wherewithal to work with. If they give us the necessary tools, I believe with the remaining five months remaining, we are going to meet the over N1 billion target. And that’s why we are here to brainstorm on how to meet the target.”