Atala Oil Well: Group Applauds Dickson For Fighting Licence Revocation

A social cultural group, Bayelsa West Congress, has commended the former Governor of Bayelsa State and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, for working relentlessly with Governor Douye Diri and other Bayelsa leaders to retrieve ownership of the state owned Atala oil field retreved

The group which hailed Dickson’s doggedness and commitment in the struggle towards retrieving and restoring the state’s licence on the Atala Oil Field, OML 46, which was unjustly revoked by the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in 2020 said, , it was Senator Dickson who called the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on the telephone to enquire why an oil field belonging to his home state was canceled.

” The minister told Senator Dickson that it was not just Atala OML but all non producing oil fields owned by other governments. This was publicly stated in a statement by Senator Dickson.

In a statement jointly signed by its chairman , Ebide Brown and spokesman, Moses Hitler respectively , it argued that Senator Dickson is not a businessman and has no personal interests in the Bayelsa Oil fields apart from the general interest of Bayelsa State.

While challenging the current administration to speak up and clarify issues , the group added that Senator Dickson upheld the interests of the state and the Ijaw nation during his administration as governor and has continued to do so even as a senator.

The group which condemned earlier statements made against rhe senator over the administration of the state’s oil wells, alleging that he has a stake in it, described the claims that he was working underground to revoke the license of the Atala Marginal Fields (OML 46)
as false and laughable.

While stating that the allegations were only sponsored in a futile attempt to discredit the huge developmental projects which the senator executed in the state while he was governor, they said, “Senator Dickson does not own an Oil License and has never applied for an oil operating license. Even if we want to assume he applied for an oil license, is it his long time political rival Timipre Sylva that will grant him an oil license?”

The group which further commended Dickson for his statemanship , added that anyone with an interest in the oil wells would not have acted in that manner, but would have taken advantage of the situation.

They revealed that before Governor Diri reached out to him seeking his counsel on the matter , he already took it up with President Muhamadu Buhari and the Petroleum Minister. They added that the disturbed Senator Dickson also accompanied the state governor , Diri to table the matter with President Buhari

The group further asked Bayelsans to ignore liars and blackmailers known for spreading propaganda. They said, “Bayelsans are already used to these lies. It is yet another futile attempt by detractors and their pay masters to drag Senator Dickson into their lies and blackmail”

“Bayelsans know who canceled the Atala OML and gave the contract to their friends and business associates and not Senator Dickson who doesn’t have the power to do so”

“As Governor, Senator Dickson fought to win the Oluasiri/Nembe/Soku oil well cases at the Supreme Court against the Rivers State government in 2013 led by then Gov. Rotimi Amaechi; what Ikuli’s masters couldn’t accomplish. Up until Senator Dickson left office as Governor, Bayelsa was collecting the derivation’s funds from the Oluasiri/Nembe/Soku oil well.”

The group added that They know for a fact that Rivers State is currently receiving the derivation funds of that oil well based on what Governor Nyesom Wike boasted last week.

“What have these detractors and their employers done to safeguard the Nembe-Oluasiri fortune that Wike’s Rivers state administration has reclaimed after Senator Dickson fought to get it back?

“This administration is aware that Senator Seriake has no involvement in the Atala oil well controversy, but certain people inside its sphere of influence are happy to propagate false information about him and subject him to blackmail.

“It is quite disappointing that there are problems that cannot be attributed to him, as he has done everything in his reach to clarify the already existing issues to foster greater understanding with the governor” they added.