By Ngor Jameson Panchol
OPINION – With this ongoing programs of Cost recovery audit, Environmental audit, and Unified Human Resource Manual Policy, the Ministry of Petroleum and the state own oil company Nile Petroleum (NILEPET) need to expedite the process and keep tenacity in order to halt superfluous excuses by the operating oil companies managements. It’s for our good as South Sudanese to be pollution free, getting a good payment and decent treatment. We are well cognizant of oil as a single source of income to the country’s GDP with the total of 17 billion annually before the 2013 December crisis and this make it a essential sector to eye on it by all South Sudanese.
To be precise on the explanation on Human Resources Manual, It comprises a set of internal rules set by the employer for governing the internal conduct of employees in a work place.
The tend to serve the purpose of promoting harmony in the work place.
In the context of the ministry of petroleum, Unified human Resource Manual Policy set to address the gap between the nationals and foreigners working with oil companies commence with salaries, allowances and the medical cover for examples , the presidents in the operating oil companies each earn between 70,000-75,000$ who are foreigners especially Chinese and Malaysians while vice presidents of operating oil companies who are South Sudanese earn 38,000$ monthly, also (GM) general Managers who are Chinese and Malaysians earn 56,000$ and South Sudanese at the same position earn only 7000$(GM). The foreign Managers received 52,000-54,000$ while South Sudanese at the same position received only 3500-4000 and also the so called expatriates who are foreigners earn 7000$ salaries apart from allowances and medical cover while South Sudanese between 2000-1000$ .
These are some of the primary reasons Hon. Puot Kang Chuol the minister for (of) petroleum developed the Unified Human Resource Manual to address the gap growing between the foreign employees and the locals. There is a exploitation of South Sudanese working with the operating oil companies and the national company in charge silence while citizens are not enjoying the same privileges enjoyed by the coworkers who are foreigners. Within the R-ARCSS Article 4.12.1.12 carryout an effective payroll cleansing under public service reform; I urge all informed South Sudanese should advocate for this discriminate Human Resource policies done against their fellow South Sudanese working with operating oil companies (SPOC, DPOC, GPOC).
On Cost Recovery Audit Report,
Recovery auditing is the systematic process of reviewing disbursement transactions and the related supporting data to identify and recover various forms of over payments and under-deductions to suppliers. In other words, it is the recovery of lost money. In the simplest term cost recovery audit deals with evaluation and auditing firms either in oil industry or other independent firms contracted by the government or big institutions. Hence the government of South Sudan contracted the following firms to conduct auditing in the operating oil companies and the concluded with the list of figures below;
- EY – Uganda Branch: 9th July 2011 to 31st Dec 2012 Unrecoverable Cost is 418millions USD
- (MIT Partners South Sudan Branch: 1st January 2013 to 31st Dec 2014,
- EY 1st recovery January 2015 to 31st Dec 2016
- KPMG – Uganda Branch: 1st January 2017 to 31st Dec 2018), Unrecoverable Cost: 2.9 billion USD + 418 m; 3.3 billion USD. Agreement clearly stated that 4. 8. 1.14. 2 criminalize depositing or diverting any petroleum revenue into any account other than the Petroleum Revenue Account at the BoSS , including concession cancellation for non-compliance by concessionaires and also article 4.14.5 The National Audit-Chamber shall audit and report on all public funds and financial dealings to relevant institutions generally and in particular to the Transitional National Legislative Assembly or to a State assembly. With this rampant corruption that engulfed operating oil companies, there are cartels aiding the operating oil companies should cease and commence supporting the auditing firms to continue doing their auditing task for the unrecovered petrodollar millions to be recovered and utilize for the national developmental projects forthwith than supporting designed fraud.
Environmental audit is the systematic documented, periodic and objective evaluation of how activities and process of an ongoing project to determine how far those activities and programs conform with the approved environmental.
Also R-ARCSS on Environmental audit is very clear article 4.9.1 The R-TGONU shall development comprehensive policies and legal and institutional frameworks for the preservation, conservation and sustainable use of the environment also article 4. 8.14.15 ensure efficient production and environmentally friendly extraction of natural resources, development of oil producing areas, capacity building and local strategy, fairness in employment in medium and long-term indigenization of the workforces. There are a lot of oil pollution cases in the oil producing areas especially Paloch, Nyiliny, Tharthath and the state own oil company in conjunction with the Ministry of the Petroleum kept silent for quite long until Hon. Puot Kang Chuol resurfaced the matter. The list of the operating oil companies are as follows ;1. DPOC _ Dar petroleum operating company.2. GPOC_ Great pioneer operating company.3. SPOC- Sudd petroleum operating company.
The NilePET- Nile petroleum is the national company tasked to supervise the operating oil companies in the country though the company have agents aiding the operating oil companies in facilitating corrupt deals and this making it hard to stop these oil firms from manipulating projects.
On the contracts, ninety to ninety eight percent ( 90-98%) goes to China National Petroleum Cooperation (CNPC )which is against the local content strategy. In accordance with R-ARCSS article 4. 8. 1. 8. Awards of oil concessions shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the revised Petroleum legislation. The National Petroleum and Gas Commission shall play a key role in processing oil contracts. The commission shall be chaired by the president and deputized by the First Vice President.
It’s upon us to push these firms to implement the Ministry of Petroleum policies because it’s for our own benefit. Our relations with China and Malaysia can not be effected because we are pursuing the apt procedures that complied with the laws of the land. I reiterate my statement that I do acclaim and acquiesce the ministry’s policies and minister in charge respectively.
The author is a concerned citizen of South Sudan.
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