Emmanuel.
Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel has made a case
for the establishment of a petroleum depot in the state to boost
his administration’s efforts to open up the state’s economy and
provide employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths
in the South-South state.
The governor made the call when the Minister of State for
Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and members of the Board of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) visited him at the
Government House in Uyo.
He said it is regrettable that the state, which is home to about
25 percent of the petroleum and gas deposits in Nigeria, does not
have any petroleum depot.
Drawing the Minister’s attention to the fact that Akwa Ibom is
strategically positioned in the Gulf of Guinea, Governor Emmanuel
said by virtue of its location and the abundant human and natural
resources embedded in its landscape, the state would be an
investor’s heaven if the right policies are in place.
He urged the Federal government to partner with the state to
harness its rich natural potentials for the benefit of the
people.
Governor Emmanuel also advocated for the unbundling of the oil
and gas sector to increase job opportunities and the rapid growth
of the country’s economy.
The delegation is in Uyo for a strategic retreat by stakeholders
in the oil and gas industry.
Describing the choice of Uyo for the strategic retreat as
significant, the governor explained that with the developments at
the Victor Attah International Airport, the 21-storey smart
building, excellent security, a good network of roads and other
infrastructure, the state has been repositioned for a strategic
role as a logistic centre of the oil and gas sector.
“The new terminal building we are currently constructing has the
most latest technology and intelligence facilities and when
completed, will rank the best seen anywhere in West Africa,” he
said.
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Harping on the need for the partnership for modular refineries,
Governor Emmanuel opined that, “modular refineries or
petrochemicals should be totally liberated from whatever could be
the bottlenecks to create more job opportunities and stimulate a
whole lot of economic activities.”
He appealed to the Petroleum Resources management team to look
into the vast untapped opportunities in the oil and gas sector with
a view to unbundling it for job and wealth creation.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre
Sylva had said that Akwa Ibom was chosen as the venue for the
retreat because of the peaceful environment and rich cultural
heritage of the people.
Sylva, who described Akwa Ibom as his second home, being an
inlaw of the state, commended the Governor and his people for the
peace and developments so far recorded.
He said the federal government was committed to revamping the
refineries in the country and assured that work on the
rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery would commence very
soon.
“I and the team went to River State to look at the Port Harcourt
refinery; we have promised this country that we will rehabilitate
at least one of these refineries within the shortest possible
time.
“We visited the Port Harcourt refinery because the programme
rehabilitation is about to begin and we hope that work on Port
Harcourt refinery will start first quarter next year,” he
added.