Angry reactions and dissatisfaction have trailed the signing of the Petroleum Industry Bill into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in Bayelsa State.
Speaking to reporters in Yenagoa, the State Capital, personalities from civil society organizations, academia, and a royal father described the development as provocative and below the expectations of the people in the Niger Delta region.
The signing of the controversial Nigerian Petroleum Industry Bill into law by President Buhari has no doubt raised a similar amount of dust as when the bill went through the various legislative processes before being assented to.
In Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, the development has been greeted with anger amongst several societal stakeholders, who described it as yet another display of insensitivity to the plight of people living in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
The Niger Delta stakeholders expressed dissatisfaction over some clauses in the Petroleum Industry Act, saying there is a need to amend those areas in the interest of justice and fairness.
Meanwhile, the legislation has been received with optimism amongst a minority section of individuals who say it is a step too many good things to come in the oil and gas industry.