The Minister of State of Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has said the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) currently before the National Assembly will be passed in April.
TrackNews Online reports that the minister stated this Thursday while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Timipre Sylva told newsmen that the bill has already passed second reading in the two chambers of the National Assembly.
According to the former Bayelsa governor, public hearings have been held while the views of oil communities have also been captured.
The minister said the Executive is ready to give the National Assembly all the necessary support to ensure the bill is passed by April.
Recall that Senate President Ahmad Lawan had expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth working relationship with the Executive on crucial matters including the PIB which is expected to reform Nigeria’s oil industry.
Meanwhile, a former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central in the Senate, Shehu Sani, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to listen to secessionists from different parts of the country.
In a post on his Twitter handle, Sani asked the federal government to address their grievances.
While describing secessionists’ conduct as nothing but infantile misadventures, the former asked the government to pay attention to their agitations.
He reminded the secessionists that disintegrating a country is by far easier said than done.
According to him, “The Secessionists threats and their wild conducts are condemnable, unconscionable, hollow and nothing but infantile misadventures.
“Breaking a country is not as seamless as cutting a cake. However, their grievances should be listened to and addressed, and they shouldn’t be persecuted.”
