The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has expressed dismay over the continued delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
The congress in a communique, released after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja recently, expressed worry that despite several pronouncements and directives by Mr President to facilitate its passage, the National Assembly has continued to frustrate the bill.
The congress condemned what it described as the lack of political will being exhibited over the bill’s passage maintaining that it had long undergone all the necessary and appropriate inter-agency and legislative processes including the reviews of the presidential taskforce for its passage.
The congress urged President Goodluck Jonathan to personally intervene with a view to breaking all the impediments affecting his speedy assent to the bill.
It expressed the strong hope that Nigeria’s aspiration to optimize the use of the nation’s oil and gas resource and potentials across the value chain will bring relief to the industry and other strategic sectors of the economy.
The communiqué which was signed by the President, Comrade Bobboi Bola Kaigama and Secretary-General, Comrade Musa Lawal and made available to The Tide stated that such step would enhance the power sector where over 85% of electricity generation plant are thermal and depend on gas to power them.
He expressed fear that the nation’s economic breakthrough and its aim of becoming major investment destination in Africa may be difficult to attend unless the government takes steps to intervene on the observed inadequacies in the privatization process of the power sector.
TUC regretted that the situation had continued to stall hope of ensuring adequate, stable and regular power supply and called on the president to “expediently intervene”, while it implores the world Bank and other financiers to help assuage the hiccups in the power sector.

Chris Oluoh