SENATOR Smart Adeyemi representing Kogi West Senatorial District has said that until steps are taken to ensure the exploration of oil in the 19 Northern States, Senators from the North will not support the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB.Speaking in an exclusive interview with Saturday Vanguard in Abuja, Senator Adeyemi said that what would facilitate the passage of the PIB would be the establishment of an agency to regulate the activities ofoil exploration in the country and not the department as recommended by by committee.Adeyemi, who is Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, however, acknowledged that oilexploration in the Niger Delta region, to a large extent, had affected the environment in the area and that the quality of lives in the region should be improved by government.He said, “All of us as senators of Nigeria do appreciate the enormous contributions of the Niger Delta region towards the economic development of our nation, talking about the God-given resources they have, the oil, which of course is the main stay of our economy and the proceeds from the oil we know that has helped toimproving the standard of living of our people.“Equally, it has helped in the development of infrastructural facilities and social amenities across the length and breadth of this nation. We thank God for that and we equally appreciate the need to put in policies and measures that will help to improve the lives of people of the Niger Delta region, the oil exploration to large extent has affected the environment, a lot of environmental pollution in the Niger Delta,a lot of problems emanating from oil exploration .“I could say this because we need to emphasize that we are of the opinion there is the need to improve the environment of the Niger Delta people, there is the need to improve the standard of living of the people of Niger Delta by way of providing them. Every part of Niger Delta deserves the best of social amenities of life and we are all committed to that.“But having said this let me equally emphasis that before the discovery of oil, Nigeria was equally blessed with other mineral resources which equally helped the nation in the task for oil exploration. In essence, we need ourselves as a people and we have been one people, one nation. We believe that there is the need for us to sustain that. It is with these considerations that the PIB has a problem.“Those of us from the Northern region hold the view that there is a need for concrete steps to be taken for oil exploration in other parts of this country especially the North that we represent. We hold the view that if there is an agency in place, there is every likelihood that within the 19 Northern states, we should be able toget about two or three states with oil deposits.“Don’t forget that of recent in Kogi state in Ibaji, there is a discovery of oil within that belt. We equally believe that if you move upward, from Jebba to Baro in Niger state up to the Benue axis, Lokoja axis, there could be oil deposits and if you look towards Bauchi Basin up to Alkeleri and move again even towards Yola, there is that possibility that there could be oil.“But you see, all these can only be achieved, if we have an agency in place that will help in oil exploration. Now all of us will be better for it if we have discovery of oil in every parts of this country. And very more important is the fact that every part of Nigeria will be seen to be contributing to the coffers of the nation. So, it won’t be looked at as if it is one area, one part of the country.“So, again, this business of politics is all about the people. We must as Senators representing our people, we must be seen to be agitating for those things that will help to improve the well being of the people of thenation, galvanize the social activities, provide jobs opportunities for people, so, it will cause nothing by having an agency.“I will tell you that the problem of having an agency for oil exploration is a major factor that will determine the passage or not of the PIB and it pays our colleagues in the South to see reason with us, that is crucial, we are not going to take the PIB if the recommendation will be to have a department.“We want a full fledge agency so that we could monitor the progress made independent of the parent body,the petroleum ministry. We don’t want a department that will stuck somewhere, we want an agency that will come and give a report, the will receive allocation to do the exploration.“I think that if this is done, it will help the nation and every one of us will be happier than we are because we are of the strong view that there could be a lot of oil deposit across Nigeria. It is just inexplicable if you tell me there is oil in Niger and there is oil in Chad and we who are down here in Nigeria, you tell me we are not going to have oil.“I do think that can be wicked or discriminatory towards Nigeria people, so oil is in Nigeria in Northern partof this country and it pays every one of us to agree to do what we can and make sure that the potentials there are exploited for the benefits of every one of us.”He said that the committee was not favorably disposed to having an agency as it had insisted on having a department while those of them from the North preferred agency to a department.According to him, “I think that when that is actually resolved, the PIB would have scaled through a lot of obstacles getting it passed from the senate. They are recommending a department and we have told them that is not going to fly, we are not going to allow that, we need an agency in place that will help in to ensurethat every part of this country will have an opportunity of being one of oil producing states.“If it so given, where there is no oil deposit of course, the agency cannot manufacture one. We want to be very sure that there is no oil. We even went to the extent of asking that we can have an agency with life span, let us look at an agency that will run for another 25 years and let us see how by the time they move round the length and breadth of this country, then we can come to a conclusion whether there is oil in that part of the country or not.“Without going to venture, there can’t be profit, so, having the agency in place is to give us the possibility ofexploring oil in Northern part of the country and if that is not done, I doubt if some of us will want this bill to be passed.”
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