- Calls for equal freedom, rights for all Nigerians
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday accused those he labelled as tribal politicians of working for the disintegration of the country, under different guises.
The sultan, in a speech at the Northern House of the Representatives Caucus retreat on the Petroleum Industry Bill, said in Abuja that they were promoting divisive agenda despite the fact that the country was passing through multiple challenges and the government trying its best to improve the situation.
He added that Nigerians must enjoy equal freedom and equal rights to live peacefully and pursue their legitimate businesses in any part of the country they so choose, be it in the market or in the forest.
He said: “Today, tribal politicians are bent on tearing the fabric of our nation apart under different guises. As patriotic and peace-loving Nigerians, we should not hold our arms and watch them destroy our unity. I, therefore, urge you, grassroots politicians, to continue to support the government’s efforts in restoring peace and stability across the country as no nation can prosper under chaos.
“All Nigerians must enjoy equal freedom and equal rights to live peacefully and pursue their legitimate businesses in any part of the country they so choose, be it in the market or in the forest.
“We must reject all ill-conceived schemes that are divisive, schemes that are setting Nigerians against fellow Nigerians. We must abhor laws that are capable of causing inter-tribal or inter-regional disharmony. All men are created equal and the unity of Nigeria is sacrosanct.”
On the PIB, Abubakar said Nigeria’s economy had for more than five decades remained dependent on oil, despite the fact that the world is moving away from oil to clean energy.
He stated that it was of great importance for the National Assembly to treat the PlB as a priority before it is too late.
According to him, God has blessed Nigeria with abundant hydrocarbon resources but the nation is yet to fully discover and tap these resources due to suboptimal regulations.
Abubakar said while the country continued to talk about poverty, unemployment and the attendant insecurity, the nation was sitting on billions of barrels of hydrocarbon from Sokoto Basin to Chad Basin, and from Gongola to Bida and Benue Trough Basins untapped.
He added that the country should have a PlB that would encourage massive hydrocarbon exploration in those frontier basins, a PlB that would attract foreign investors to bring their funds and develop the resources.
The Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, said the PIB was one of the most topical pieces of legislation before the National Assembly, stressing that he knows the lawmakers would want to be part of this important history.
He said there was a need for the parliament to put in place a legislative framework that creates a system that is not only globally recognised, but timely and apt in order to promote economic engagements within and outside the country.
Gbajabiamila added: “The only legislation on the ground now that regulates the oil and gas sector in Nigeria is the old 1959 petroleum bill. In a nation that is so developed on the African continent, and the global business we operate in the 21st century, a piece of legislation that took effect as far back as 1959 is not only obsolete but complete trash that cannot be practicable to develop our economy with.
“Of course, it may not be possible to avoid sentiments, but it is the belief of the leadership of the ninth House of Representatives that our sentiments must be tied to the mutual co-existence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“It is our belief that our diversity should be our source of strength. It is our belief that our differences must not be translated into expressions of disunity among ourselves. If we look at all these things the best way they should be looked at, I believe that it will make Nigeria grow and continue to take the lead on the African continent.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, said petroleum had been a major part of the country’s history, especially in its role to provide the much-needed resources for governance to operate at all levels.
He stated that since December 2008 when the PIB was first introduced into the National Assembly, it has not been passed into law, majorly because of the need to capture every interest.
Mustapha said in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to leave a lasting legacy by building a sustainable foundation for Nigeria’s growth, he forwarded a revised Petroleum Industry Bill to the National Assembly. He said this was in line with a major aim of safeguarding the long-term macroeconomic stability of the economy.
Mustapha said it was gladdening that the passage of the Deep off Shore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Amendment Bill of 2019 served as a befitting signpost that the National Assembly would deliver on this promise.
He said: “As you finalise the bill, I would implore you to take a careful look at some of the areas that have proven contentious over time. These include; governance structure to balance community concerns of giving too much emphasis to oil companies and very little to host communities, oil and gas, royalty and taxes, provision of a favourable environment for future investment and the launching of new projects or increasing transparency in the operations of the Nigerian oil and gas sector. Because the truth about it is that every
community has claimed that they are not part of what is happening around them.
“So, if there is increased transparency in the affairs of all the players in the oil and gas sector, we would have very little contentions like critical market reforms needed in optimal exploitation of the untapped potentials of the Nigerian oil and gas sector.”
Mustapha assured the gathering of the federal government’s continued support
to the legislature and to look forward to a PIB that will put Nigeria on the path of
sustainable economic growth.
