Passage of PIB bill will stop downstream problems — IPMAN
Matthew Denis, Abuja
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) has called for the passage of the Petroleum Industrial Bill (PIB) as a way forward towards eliminating obstacles in the downstream sector.
The National Secretary of the Association, Alhaji Danladi Pasali made the disclosure while speaking to Nigerian NewsDirect on some burning national issues recently.
He said, “We have been battling with the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) at the National Assembly.”
According to him, until that bill is passed and the government opens up the system by reducing the powers of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and other regulatory agencies to allow the private sectors to drive for competitive atmosphere, problems will still persist.
Pasali stressed that the government must take the ‘bull by the horn’ to ensure that they clear the system because the government has no business in business.
“They should encourage the private sector and provide enabling environment for investment. So, passing of the bill will checkmate all the problems in the downstream sector even the upstream sector.
The Secretary emphasized that the government is spending trillions in the name of subsidy and Nigerians are not benefitting from it.
He said, “If I ask you are they subsidising anything for you? The truth is that majority of Nigerians are not benefitting from anything subsidy, instead this bulk of money should be channeled into other sectors like health, infrastructures, Agriculture, mineral resources and providing palliative for Nigerians. We have been spending on subsidy for the past 20 years without positive results, the government must close it eyes and remove this subsidy since we have other alternatives than allowing our resources being drained in the name of subsidy on daily basis.
“In every situation, there must be assumptions of hardship when the subsidy is removed but solution will come from other alternatives like the gas expansion programme launched by Mr. President for the past one year. And they are making a kind of timetable on the expansion of this Gas, by the time this gas is expanded people will be left with two alternatives whether to buy fuel at higher price or to buy gas at lower price which is even more cheaper and affordable. To me, the government must look inward on the alternative to satisfy the populace demand than subsiding more on the petroleum products.”
The IPMAN boss noted that removal of subsidy and encouragement of the gas expansion programme in the country will help in stabilizing the price of petrol product.
