Daily Independent Online.
*
Monday, June 14, 2004.
Oil sector deregulation is premature,
says Deputy Speaker
By Uchenna Awom,
National
Assembly Correspondent, Abuja
Deputy Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Austin Opara, has said deregulation of the down stream sector
of the petroleum industry was premature.
Opara, who stated this in Sokoto, at the
just concluded constituency interactive session, said with benefit of
hindsight, certain structures required to be in place before deregulation were
not done, adding that this has painted the principles behind the policy in bad
light.
Speaking in the wake of the nationwide
strike by the organised Labour, which was called off at the weekend, the deputy
speaker said structures like the refineries needed be functional, the marketers
properly monitored and the public enlightened before the deregulation could
effectively kick-off.
Opara stated that the constant face-off
between the Federal Government and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has made
the House of Representatives to be very uncomfortable with the situation. He
cautioned that deregulation did not mean incessant price increases; rather he
said price movements should be allowed to determine by market forces.
He warned that recourse to strikes might
not bring a lasting solution to the problem, adding that the House has decided
to wade into the matter by dialoguing with both sides in the conflict.
Opara, however, insisted that deregulation
remains the best policy capable of curbing petroleum products scarcity.
According to him, since Nigerians have accepted
deregulation, and the House endorsed it, then “it must be appreciated for
its benefits, though all the ingredients needed to effectively pilot it must be
put in place.”
