OpeOluwani Akintayo
Lagos — The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR said it has put back implementation of the new registration fees for oil and gas trainings in the country until further notice.
During a recent webinar session in Lagos, the Director and Chief Executive Officer of DPR, Mr. Sarki Auwalu disclosed that the postponement was due to current economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, the department was about implementing the raised fees before the pandemic struck.
He explained that out the subsisting registration fees had been in place for over 10 to 13 years, hence the upward review, adding that the agency was going to maintain it till after pandemic.
“How can we review the registration fee under this COVID-19. We all know, the current registration fee is over 10 years old–we have been carrying it for over 10 years and we reviewed it actually higher because every regulation that spends over 10 years is supposed to be reviewed, the economy has grown”.
“But due to COVID-19 we stand down the implementation of new fees. This fees we are charging is almost 13 years if you check back but we still maintain it because we need to really encourage and not to add to the burdens. After this COVID-19 then we can see if it is desired and then we implement the new fee”, he said.
