in Akwa Ibom. Mr. Osinbajo said this in Uyo on Thursday while addressing a Townhall meeting of the government and people of the state. The acting president’s visit was part of his consultation with people in the Niger Delta on how to maximise the gains of oil resources in the region.
The acting
president, who was responding to myriads of complaints and requests by the
people, said that budgetary provisions had also been made for the Itu – Calabar
federal highway in 2016. Mr. Osinbajo said the Ministry of Petroleum Resources
was working with Amnesty Office to accommodate more youth from Akwa Ibom into
the Amnesty Programme.
“I have heard
all the requests. We must trust and give this government the patience that is
required to put things right.
“We are
working on modular refineries. Power stations must be established here. We must
make our oil producing communities hub of petrochemical and gas industries.
“We must
attract private investments. The biggest benefit is to attract more private
investments to the state,” Mr. Osinbajo advised.
The acting
president regretted that the blessings of oil wealth had not touched the
majority of the people in the oil bearing communities. He said the Ministry of
Petroleum Resources was working on several incentives for the oil producing
communities. Mr. Osinbajo also directed the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to
liaise with the oil multinationals operating in the state on the modalities to
relocate their headquarters following repeated requests.
The acting
president promised to partner with the state government to establish technology
hub in the state while advising the people to be resourceful and innovative. He
noted that the future depended on innovation and the ability to harness what we
have for development. In his presentation earlier, the state governor, Udom
Emmanuel, appealed to the Federal Government to support the Ibaka deep seaport.
The governor also requested the Federal Government to partner with the state to
establish a logistics centre for oil and gas operations. Mr. Emmanuel appealed
to the Federal Government to resolve the ownership problem in the Aluminum
Smelting Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) to enable the state benefit from it.
The governor,
who described the acting president as a development partner and leader,
appealed to the Federal Government to allocate oil and gas block to indigenes
of the state. Speaking on behalf of oil producing communities, a former
Minister of Lands and Housing, Nduese Essien, lamented that the state had
nothing to show for being the highest oil producer.
Mr. Essien
suggested that the coastal railway project of the Federal Government should
pass through Oron- Eket- Ikot Abasi routes. He called on the Federal Government
to correct the anomaly in the section four of the East-West spanning Onna and
Eket in Akwa Ibom. In his presentation, the state leader, Pan Niger Delta
Forum, Idongesit Nkanga, urged the federal government to partner with the state
government to complete the hangar at the Akwa Ibom Airport. Mr. Nkanga called
for the speedy completion of the East-West road cutting across the state and
also expedite the transformation of Maritime Academy into a university.
In his speech,
the Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, commended the federal government
for appointing indigenes of the state into key government positions. Mr.
Akpabio, who spoke on behalf of the state’s elders council, asked for fairness
and equity considering the allocation of projects in the Niger Delta region.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that representatives of youth, women
and special interest groups spoke at the town hall meeting.
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