Chief Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has said that Nigerians should be proud of the decision by the Federal government to import refined petrol from Niger Republic.

The Federal government through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Niger Republic for the importation of petroleum products.

The decision triggered a lot of backlash from many Nigerians, who described it as an act of retrogression for the country.

However, Sylva, in a response to the backlash during an interview with Channels TV on Monday, said there is nothing to be embarrassed about.

“For me, this is not an embarrassment at all. As a country, we need products, even if all our refineries were functioning.

“Niger Republic produces oil and they are landlocked as a country. They have a refinery that produces in excess of what they require as a country, and they offered to sell to us in Nigeria.

“In the spirit of regional cooperation, regional trade development, we decided to buy from them. I don’t see anything wrong with that.

“Nigerians should be proud that we are encouraging sub-regional trade,” he said.