TheCable

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says a total number of 48 dispute cases in the oil and gas industry have been resolved since inauguration of its Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre (ADRC).

Sarki Auwalu, DPR director/chief executive officer, said this during the petroleum club’s second quarter business dinner on Wednesday.

The ADRC is one of the units in the National Oil and Gas Excellence Centre (NOGEC) established by Muhammadu Buhari on January 21, 2021.

The resolution centre was inaugurated in April 2021 with the principal aim of providing a platform where disputes in the industry could be settled in a timely, cost-effective, and mutually agreeable manner.

Auwalu said: “The centre is involved in mediation, reconciliation and arbitration. After the inauguration of the centre, we resolved about 48 cases, and right now, we have over 223 cases.

“Notable among them is the first case that we resolved which had been on for 18 years. It was resolved by simple mediation”.

DPR had announced that the ADRC, which fully commenced operations in May, has a six-member advisory council and a 20-member body of neutrals which has been mediating on disputes between players in the oil and gas value chain.

The members of the Advisory council include Auwalu as chairman, Saliu Said, Cecelia Olatoregun, Bayo Ojo, Daere Akobo, and Nicholas Odinuwe.