LAGOS – The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday urged the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
The advice was given in a communiqué issued at the end of National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the congress and signed by its President and Secretary, Bobboi Kaigama and Musa Lawal, respectively.
It reported that NEC-in-Session was worried about the continued delay in the passage of the bill despite several pronouncements and directives by President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The NEC expresses its discontent over the lack of political will being exhibited by the National Assembly over the delay in the passage of the bill since it has long undergone all the appropriate inter-agency and legislative processes,’’ it said.
The congress urged President Jonathan to further intervene with a view to breaking all the impediments affecting his speedy assent to the bill.
It stressed that “its passage will bring relief to the industry and help boost the nation’s economy’’.
The union urged the Federal Government to ensure that funds were released for implementation of projects in the oil and gas sector.
It also stressed that the “the growth and development of the sector has been at the lowest ebb’’.
The communiqué called on the Federal Government to take urgent and decisive steps by fulfilling its own part of the agreement on the stalled projects some of which it said were over 10 years.
It, however, decried the state of insecurity in the country and urged governments at all levels to devise better and appropriate security and intelligence gathering strategies to combat it. (NAN)
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