Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has been called upon to “initiate steps that will ensure speedy completion of some projects attracted by Bayelsa State’s former Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Izzi Yakiah, while making the call specifically urged Lokpobiri to “adopt further dialogue in resolving issues of abandoned oil and gas projects in Brass Island of the State”.
This was contained in a signed statement by Yakiah, in reaction to a pronouncement credited to the minister at a stakeholders’ meeting held at Twon Brass community town hall following his working visit to the access road to Brass Petroleum Product Terminal Tank Farm project.
He lauded President Tinubu “for the recent signing of the gas sale and purchase agreement (GSPA) for the $3.5 billion Brass fertiliser and petrochemical project in Bayelsa state at the instance of Shell Petroleum Development Company and its partners.”
The APC chieftain called on the President to “effect his administration’s bond performance agreement in the day-to-day running of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources particularly the oil sector headed by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.”
While noting that the Petroleum Minister’s address to stakeholders at the Brass forum was critical of Chief Sylva’s achievements as former governor of Bayelsa, Yakiah said “Timipre Sylva did his best to improve oil and gas sector in Nigeria.”
“Sylva ensured the completion of the 17-storey headquarters of the Nigerian Content Development in Yenagoa. Also, the former Governor ensured the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act in 2021 and execution of other corporate social responsibility projects in Brass Island, among others,” he stated.
The APC chieftain faulted the minister’s reported remark that those behind the 2,000BPD Atlantic Modular Refinery diverted US35 million appropriated for the project.
Yakiah who is also the National Coordinator of Niger Delta Media Activists Group and Excellent Leadership Foundation, pleaded with Lokpobiri to “step up efforts towards bringing dividends of democracy to the people of Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu”.
“Sylva had worked so hard to attract critical oil and gas investments that would ensure value addition to the crude oil, products sufficiency, create jobs opportunities for young people and curb pipeline vandalism in the area.
“Most of the projects which the Minister claimed to have been paid for during the tenure of Chief Sylva as Minister were projects conceived and solely relied on counterpart funding to be fully completed.
“The stakeholders meeting of such nature should provide an opportunity for the Minister to explain to Nigerians controversy surrounding the operations of the Port Harcourt Refinery and other two major refineries in Nigeria as well as the current steps taken to reduce the current fuel pump price to affordable rate.”
