An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Bayelsa State, Izzi Yakiah, has tasked the minister of state for Petroleum Resources Oil, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, to attract more federal government projects to Bayelsa State.
The APC chieftain stated this while reacting to Lokpobiri’s comments last Wednesday, at stakeholders meeting in Twon Brass community town hall, in Bayelsa State where, according to Yakiah, the minister attempted to malign his predecessor and former governor, Timipre Sylva.
He said instead of attacking Sylva, the minister ought to have used the stakeholders meeting to explain the controversies surrounding the operations of the Port Harcourt Refinery and two other major refineries, adding that Nigerians would want to know what current steps are being taken to reduce the fuel price.
He noted that while other ministers are initiating robust reforms and lobbying the president for key federal appointments for their people to strengthen APC in different states, Lokpobiri “has chosen to ignore such progressive ventures and focus on Timipre Sylva who did his best to improve the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.”
Yakiah appealed to the minister to initiate steps that will ensure speedy completion of the projects attracted by the former governor in line with President Bola Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda.
Yakiah said Lokpobiri should see his new second shot as a minister to improve on his sketchy achievements when he was minister of state for Agriculture between 2015 – 2018 under former President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
He recounted that Sylva completed a 17 storey building headquarters of the Nigerian Content Development in Yenagoa, worked for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act in 2021 and executed other corporate social responsibility projects in Brass Island.
The APC chieftain however thanked President Tinubu for recently signing 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.
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