A Professor of Energy and Comparative Environmental Law and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at the Rivers State University, Prof Samuel Chisa Dike, has proffered lasting solution to the incessant fuel scarcity affecting Nigeria, contending that the general overhaul of the petroleum sector is the surest way to go.
Dike, who gave the indication in an interview in Port Harcourt regretted that the country is still importing fuel in spite of it being blessed with abundant natural resources including oil deposits and reserves.
Consequent upon this, he challenged the Federal Government to immediately resuscitate the four refineries in the country located in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna so that they would be able to function and operate in optimal capacity.
According to him, Nigeria has no excuse for exporting crude petroleum products and importing refined products when in actual fact the country is richly endowed.
Dike, also the National President of the Association of Environmental Lawyers of Nigeria(AELN) noted with sadness that the country’s petroleum sector is plagued with what he described as systemic and human problems to the point that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited which is saddled with the responsibility of managing the oil sector as well as development, production and distribution of petroleum products is not living above board while its contractors are at the same time apparently short changing Nigerians.
The university teacher, therefore, advocated the general overhaul of the petroleum sector in such a way that square pegs are placed in square holes, with thorough-bred technocrats and experts at the helm of affairs.
According to him, the President of the country who is saddled with several other responsibilities should not function as the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
Dike said both the Petroleum Resources Minister and the Minister of State should be experienced technocrats drawn from the oil and gas sector; and should be persons who are upwardly young and mobile, saying, “these are unique sectors you need unique personalities and experts to manage”.
He further indicated that Nigeria is not yet ripe for the removal of petroleum subsidy since there are no social welfare policies and palliative measures in place to cushion its negative effects on the poor masses, adding that if the subsidy is removed today, it would further inflict untold hardship on the poor.
“We want to mimic developed countries that have removed subsidy in the petroleum sector. In those countries,they have social welfare policies for their citizenry. The economic indicators are good in those countries but they are not in Nigeria”, he said.
In the meantime, Dike suggested that good managers should be deployed to manage the refurbished refineries until at a point when the market is good enough before tinkering with the idea of gradual removal of subsidy.
He said the Naira swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) is good but queried the timing, and advised the apex bank to revisit the policy.
Dike said Nigeria needs today a President who is a true democrat keen on enforcing the letters and provisions of the Constitution within the context of equity, justice and fairness, and urged INEC to be neutral in order to conduct free, fair and credible elections.