The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured Nigerians that the fuel crisis being experienced in the country will soon be a thing of the past.

Bamidele gave this assurance in an interview with newsmen on the sidelines of the Oil Technology Conference in Houston, Texas on Friday.

He said the legislature is working tirelessly to ensure that fuel scarcity and frequent queues at filling stations are resolved and that there were plans to involve more private-sector players in the construction of new refineries.

In his words;
“The Senate is working to ensure that more private-sector players are licensed to own and operate refineries. This is to support other smaller ones that are springing up in several parts of the country.

“In addition to licensing new refinery operators, the Federal Government and Senate are working to ensure that the existing refineries are turned around with repairs and replacement of parts carried out where necessary,” he said.

Bamidele said the Senate had received an assurance from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited that two of its refineries in Warri and Port Harcourt would come on stream before the end of the year.

Opeyemi maintained that the focus was to ensure that Nigeria meets its OPEC production quota.

He further explained that achieving such milestones would provide more revenue for the government and halt lack and borrowings.

The Senate has input ‘Death penalty’ as punishment for those involved in the manufacture, processing and trafficking of dangerous and hard drugs in the country.

The Senate has also approved fifteen years imprisonment without the option of fine for those who consume the hard drugs in view of the havoc being created by substance and drug abuse in the country.

This development is to aid the hard drugs situation to be nipped in the bud as neglecting it has always had the potential of destroying the future of the country.

Approvals by the Upper Chamber was sequel to the consideration of Report of the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters and Drugs & Narcotics on the amendment of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (HB. 472) presented by Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, APC, Borno North.

According to the Senate, the amendment became very imperative because it is the majority of the youth that are engaged in the drug and substance abuse.

Prior to the passage, the senate dissolved into a committee of the whole for a clause by clause consideration of the report.

During the review process of the Committee ‘s recommendations and especially with regard to issue of the penalty provisions towards strengthening the operations of the agency, a proposed amendment to award death sentence to drug traffickers rather than just a life sentence was raised by the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South and the Deputy Whip, Senator Peter Nwebonyi, APC, Ebonyi North under clause 11.

When the matter was put to a voice vote, it appeared the nays had it, however when the question was put for a second vote, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, APC, Kano North who presided ruled in favour of the I’s.

Some workers’ unions have commenced a protest over the sack of workers of the Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC) by the state government.

On Wednesday, the workers commenced the protest rally at the Ikeja under-bridge while heading towards the Lagos house of assembly complex in Alausa.

Workers under the aegis of the Amalgamated Unions of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and other unions are at the protest.

In April, the Lagos government announced the disengagement of 391 LWC workers “as part of its ongoing restructuring efforts aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and meeting the evolving demands of the organisation”.

The state government said the corporation has been battling “financial and operational challenges, struggling to generate adequate revenue to meet its obligations”.

In December 2023, the state government also sacked 450 casual workers of the corporation.