Deregulation Of Downstream Sector, Premature – Senator

As the rift between the Federal Government and Labour on the issue of deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector widens, a senator has called on the government to get the country’s refineries working before deregulating the sector.

Speaking with The Tide in Abuja on the issue, Senator John Brambaifa, former Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta said the whole idea of deregulation is a welcome development in any nation, but that the parameters needed before deregulation could achieve its objectives are not yet in place in the country.

Brambaifa, a former gubernatorial candidate in Bayelsa State agreed with government that deregulation is “a necessary factor in government especially in a country that produces oil “because you cannot keep on subsidizing something forever.”

“But then, what is the purpose of subsidizing? It’s to ameliorate, to reduce the sufferings of people so that government can now pay part of the prize to reduce the prizes the ordinary man pays.”

The idea of deregulation is to ameliorate the sufferings of people and then you want to remove that subsidy. Have you done so much for the people to appreciate that there is no more suffering in that particular area? He queried.

Asked if government should stay action on the planned deregulation until these issues are tackled, the Senator answered in the affirmative, stressing however, that not all problem may be tackled 100  before deregulation is introduced but the refineries should be made to work.

“Let us see the refineries work. We have refineries. Why cant refineries work in this country when they work elsewhere?