Lawmaker To Present Oil Firms Refinery Bill

The lawmaker representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda plans to present a bill seeking oil companies operating in the country to build refineries as one of the conditions for renewal of their licences.

When  passed into law, the bill will empower the companies to refine their crude locally for local consumption and would be free to export the excess.

Speaking in an interview in Port Harcourt at the weekend, Hon. Chinda said” “I am not unaware of the fact that a company as large as Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) which we call the first son in that sector has said that it will not build a local refinery in Nigeria.”

“But I think that if there’s a law in place without an option, they will comply with the laws of the land or take the other alternative and whether the bill will sail through or fly or not will depend on the members of the House”, he added.

According to him, “the important thing is to place the bill before the House, if it doesn’t fly, I am sure it would give an idea to Nigerians.

If it doesn’t fly in the 7th Assembly, someone might represent it in subsequent Assembly.”

On removal of oil subsidy, he said “I am not in support of it because I don’t think that I have enough reasons to believe that whatever money that will accrue from the removal will be channeled properly into the provision of infrastructure, the carnel of the orguement in support of the removal.”

As he puts it,” even where we agree that there is fraud in the system, I don’t think that the solution to it is to remove fuel subsidy and before the idea of fuel subsidy came into play, I am sure that those who propounded it also advanced some advantages derivable from the subsidy.”

Recalling when he taught against the removal during his days as a student leader in President Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, and was arrested, detained and released, Chinda noted that the reasons adduced in those days are still the same today, which are not tenable and achievable.

The lawmaker believed that if fuel subsidy is removed, it will not be the magic wand that will take care of all the infrastructural problems of the country not to turn the economy around.

“Removal of subsidy can not work like the local medicine they sell in Lagos market where they say one medicine will take care of malaria, thyphoid, epilepsy and everything. That was the impression we had about it, that as soon as it is removed, the whole problems of he country will be resolved and this cannot be correct”, he declared.

Barrister Chinda said the people would protest the removal of fuel subsidy and the government should allow peaceful protest, noting that it the government keeps suppressing the people’s peaceful protest it might breed undesirable consequences.

Shedie Okpara