By Musa Baba Adamu
The senator representing Borno South on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ali Muhammed Ndume, has said that Borno State cannot wait to join the league of oil producing States in Nigeria.
Speaking with journalists in the National Assembly on the ongoing efforts to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and the discovery of oil in Borno State, Ndume said the people of the state are already excited, but expressed concern over the security challenges in the state.
We are praying that with the new Service Chiefs, the insecurity will come to an end, he said, adding “We are eager to join the oil producing states. There is all indication there is large quantity in the Lake Chad region.”
On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Ndume said that he was optimistic that the leadership of the 9th Assembly was determined to pass the bill before the end of first quarter.
He said “We are hopeful that the 9th Assembly will break the ice by making sure we pass the bill. Several attempts have been made in the last 20 years but it has not been successful. It is very important to pass the PIB. I am happy that everybody is on board.”
He said if the level of understanding exiting between the various stakeholders had been there in the past, the Bill would have become law by now, explaining that what delied the bill till this time was because the key players were working at cross purpose.
