‘Oil Sector’s Bleak Days’ll Be Over’

The management of an
indigenous oil firm Nedal Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited has expressed hope that the present  bleak days and challenges facing the sector would soon be over and the economy of the nation would bounce back to life.
Managing Director of the firm, Princess Delma Ogba told The Tide in Port Harcourt over the weekend that the present economic challenges would draw the attention of Nigerians and government to other non-oil potentials that had been neglected.
Ogba regretted that agriculture which remained one of the highest and oldest revenue earners was taken for granted in Nigeria but  that the present harsh economy would  draw the nation to do the right thing by developing the nation’s agricultural potentials and other dormant potentials that would be enhanced.
According to her, good governance, laws in the oil sector would equally restore the people’s confidence especially those from the oil producing  communities so that peace and development would rule in the sector.
She challenged the National  Assembly to have a critical look at the laws governing the oil sector and carry out necessary amendment, stressing that there was need for the petroleum  Industry Bill (PIB) to be concluded and passed into law.
According to her, “with good laws and environment, investors will be attracted to invest and refineries will begin to boom. At  this point, employment and more wealth would be created”, she stated.
Ogba advised Federal Government to make investment in agriculture attractive so that youths who have the physical capacity to go into  farming  would embrace it.
“A way of doing that is by making  soft loans accessible to them and helping  grassroot women with soft loans to go into small and middle scale business, she said.
She regretted that government in the past has said so much about agriculture and SMEs while actually doing little, remarking that such vital initiatives should not be politicised so as to achieve set goals.

Chris Oluoh