…….A Process That Will Reduce Gas Flaring In The State….
Based on the policy of the M.O.R.E Agenda towards the Oil and Gas sector and the advantage of the Electricity Bill that was signed into law by the federal government, the Delta State Governor, His Excellency, Rt Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori said is looking forward to investors who will come to establishing a modular refinery and building a turbine to generate electricity through the use of gas in the state.
The Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Hon. Olorogun Vincent Oghenerueme Oyibode, made this known when journalists visited him in Asaba on Tuesday, as he said the state has a lot of gas that can be used to generate electricity.
“Interestingly, three communities on their own are already doing that, they fund it by themselves – Otor Udu in Udu Local Government Area, Otor Jeremi, and Iwhreka the host communities in the state. They have spent N1.1 billion remaining N500 million to complete it”, Oyibode said.
He added that Oborewori is calling on investors to establish and generate electricity through the use of gas and doing so, will help to reduce the gas flaring that is destroying the Ozone layer.
He also said the governor’s policy keys into all the various opportunities within the oil and gas sector as Oborevwori is also thinking of a green economy.
According to Olorogun Oyibode, investors are already coming but they told them to refund the funds to these communities that have already started the project for them to inherit it and expand on it to increase the megawatts that will serve more communities.
“Currently, what these communities are building is one megawatt and we need a situation where these investors will increase it to maybe like 10 megawatts. We asked them for a statistic that could be used to generate a permanent electricity supply for the whole of Warri.”
Due to the nature of the gas which has always been converted in so many ways, Oyibode said other companies are also showing interest in supplying Compress Natural Gas (CNG) that can be used to serve other companies that will be established in the state and it can also be used on vehicles and tricycles (Keke).
The Oil and Gas Commissioner also said the governor is driving towards making gas inexpensive in the state, saying, so many of the oil companies in the state are already compressing most of the gas to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
He said the governor listened to the plight of Deltans on the issue of the high cost of transportation, which according to him, the issue of keke using gas is already on top gear at the governor’s table.
He added that electricity if generated in the state, a lot of industries would spring up and the development would help drive employment opportunities that would enable people to think of selling CNG to these Keke while again confirming that the companies in the state have over 35 percent of CNG that they can sell.
Oyibode pointed out that the governor is also looking for other ways to generate electricity and they have been reaching out to various organizations to come to invest, claiming that a lot of companies are already coming for it because they have made an effort to run a test at the Ogbogologo market to convert waste to wealth – a situation where plastic and condemned vehicle tires will be converted into pure diesel production.
“One of the political deficits caused in the Niger Delta today was to formulate lies mostly in the Warri area. They said that we were hostile so they moved all multinational oil companies from Warri. And now that the place is most peaceful, they also have the right to move back. Though we have a lot of investors that are coming and Delta State will be great again with Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration”, the oil and gas commissioner said.
When asked about an abandoned $20 billion industrial gas project situated at Ogidigben, Oyibode said the state government is planning on how it can meet with stakeholders of Ijaw and Itsekeri to discuss some of these issues because such projects are rich and will employ a lot of Deltans.
He describes the project as a magnificent landmark project that when completed will boost the socio-economic activities within the state.
He also made a speech about the issue of fuel subsidy where he frowned at President Tinubu’s administration for not putting in place measures to reduce the suffering of Nigerians before removing the policy.
The oil and gas commissioner said “What it ought to be before the subsidy remover is that the refineries were supposed to be put to work. The Warri, Port Harcourt, and the Kaduna refineries were supposed to be working. And licenses should be given to individuals without a cumbersome process for individuals to establish refineries because our boys can refine diesel and fuel locally.”
“When former vice president, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo visited the Niger Delta, as a PANDEF youth leader, we agreed together in Bayelsa State that we will put those boys who are refining these products locally into a cooperative, where they can also establish a modular refinery, collect the crude oil legally and refined these products to be available, but what killed the policy is because they know we will be prosperous in the Niger Delta.”
“President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajiamila, when he was the Speaker of the National Assembly, was one of those who helped to kill the relocation of all multinational oil companies to be relocated to the Niger Delta.
“We proposed that the administrative headquarters of Chevron should be in Warri, Shell should be in Port Harcourt, Agip in Yenegoa, and Exxon Mobile should be in Akwa Ibom. They are aware that when these companies relocated their administrative headquarters to the Niger Delta, there won’t be a place like Lekki because the Lekki will also be transferred to the Niger Delta.”
“So, I will say that the subsidy issue is political because if it is not political, strategy is supposed to be put in place to cushion the poverty level of the people. What about the monetary policy where foreign currency is high and our naira has been devalued? Is it economically viable? No, it is all about creating poverty so that the class theory can be sustained where the rich become richer and the poor become poorer as the middle class is not recognized”, Oyibode stated this while also calling on Journalists to be proactive and stand up to their constitutional duty to criticize these kinds of policies.
