Following the controversy generated over President Muhammadu Buhari assenting to the Bill amending the Deep Offshore Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Act in London on Monday, the national chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole said yesterday that Buhari can rule from anywhere in the world.
Oshiomhole also commented on the face-off between himself and the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki when he led members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to pay a courtesy call on the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan at the National Assembly.
Oshiomhole who commended the Senate President for the passage of the Deep Offshore Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract Act into law, added that the senate indeed put the nation above political and other interests.
He particularly cited the unanimity during the debate of the Bill, noting that there was no discordant tune during the exercise.
He noted further that the passage of the law within five months of the administration of 9th Senate under the leadership of Lawan was a loud statement.
Oshiomhole also commended President Buhari for assenting to the Bill, which was in recognition of the importance attached to the Bill and its enormous impact on the nation’s revenue.
He said: “I was also excited to see Mr. President signing into law that Act even in London. The implication is that, like you, the President recognised that you can manage it as quickly as you did and come out with fundamental amendment that has such enormous impact in our nation’s revenue.”
Noting that President Buhari has done the needful by signing the Bill into law in Nigerian house in London, Oshiomhole said, “It shows that wherever the President is, he’s presiding over Nigeria and with the benefit of modern technology and so on, we have passed the Mongo Park era.
“Signing it into law in London, for me, it also means several statements, namely that, wherever national interest is involved, the President is on duty. Wherever he’s he presides.”
When asked by newsmen to comment on the crisis in Edo over the face-off between himself and the Edo State governor, Oshiomhole said, “That is a question for another day.”
Responding to Oshiomhole earlier, the president of the Senate, Lawan said, “We have a Senate today that is primed right from the start to deliver to Nigerians. We campaigned and said that we want a Senate that will work for Nigerians. This Senate works for Nigeria indeed. And this is just the beginning of what we intend to achieve.
“We expect that we pass the budget at the end of this year, before the year runs out but next year going forward, we have other very compelling and important and significant legislations – the Petroleum Industry Bill, we have a lot of revenue issues, we intend to look into legislations on the revenue generating agencies, the scopes of their mandates – we want to deal with these decisively and expeditiously because we believe that the petroleum industry in Nigeria needs to have proper legislative framework to ensure that we maintain the businesses that have decided to come to our country.
“The IOCs have nothing to fear. It is going to be a level playing field. They will have their day to suggest what they think it should be like but one thing is that we must ensure that Nigeria receives the appropriate revenue and rewards from its endowments.
“We passed the amendments to this Deep Offshore and inland basin Production Sharing Contract. It may interest you to know that Nigeria receives $268million only before this amendment. After the amendment when the Bill will start to operate, at $55 to a barrel, Nigeria will receive about $1.5billion. Going up to $60 (per barrel) it will be close to $2billion. That is a monumental quantum leap actually.”