Senate Deputy Minority Leader Urges Govt To Shift Attention From Crude Oil To Bitumen Exploration
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Urges Government To Shift Attention From Crude Oil To Bitumen Exploration
By Richard Akintade, Osogbo
The Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, Akogun Lere Oyewumi, has urged the Federal Government to shift attention from crude oil to bitumen exploration to generate more foreign exchange and boost the nation’s economy.
Senator Oyewumi at the Senate plenary, noted that this is the best time for the Federal Government to look inward and shift focus from crude oil to bitumen, which also has its economic advantage.
He noted that the country has a large deposit of bitumen, which can help generate a lot of foreign exchange and equally solve youth unemployment challenges.
Senator Oyewumi said that if bitumen was fully harnessed, it would bring a lot of people into the state, especially the council area, and consequently boost economic activities.
According to Ikire born politician, “This is an avenue for the government to explore to boost the dwindling fortune of the state in terms of revenue generation. And equally reduce the pressure on cement for road construction”.
Senator Oyewumi, representing Osun West Senatorial District, equally opined that exploring the nation’s huge bitumen deposits would go a long way in facilitating ongoing road projects and, by implication, save the country billions of dollars used yearly to import road infrastructure raw materials.
He described bitumen as an important mineral resource needed for road construction.
“Bitumen is in abundance, and the country can explore and exploit it for economic development,” the lawmaker concluded.
