Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has urged Nigerians to keep hope of a better Nigeria alive,

predicting that the year 2022 which starts today, Saturday, January 1, would be better than last year, 2021, in the nation’s socio-political environment.

In his New Year message to Nigerians, Sylva said the citizens need to continue to think positively of a better Nigeria, adding that the President Muhammadu Buhari government would do its best to ensure that things continue to get better for the citizenry.

“2022 is going to be a good year for Nigeria. Things have started shaping up and with our collective support and prayers, we will achieve the Nigeria of our dream. This is not the time to despair but to rekindle our hope of a great and prosperous Nigeria. Just like the Israelite, with God on our side, we will certainly rise from the ashes to zenith of prosperity,” Sylva said.

“We need to keep hope alive and dream big in 2022. The outgoing year was a challenging one, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said, adding that despite the challenges that characterised the year “the government of President Buhari was able to make some remarkable achievements in the different sectors of the nation’s economy.”

The minister who went spiritual noted that “when the Israelites were exiled in Babylon, they kept hope alive and turned to God and God answered their prayers and they were liberated. As a people, we need to sincerely turn to God to answer our prayers and heal our land.”

While wishing every Nigerian a prosperous 2022, the Minister said: “This is going to be a great year for Nigeria in the oil and gas sector of the economy. With the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), Nigeria has set the stage for increased investments in the sector. We now have a law that governs the sector and creates confidence in the minds of potential investors and am confident that we will make unprecedented progress in the coming years.”