Worried by the energy crisis caused by the removal of oil subsidy by the federal government, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), has joined the growing calls for investment in modular refineries in the Niger Delta region.
The spokesman for the group, Comrade Bedford Benjamin Berefa, who made the advocacy on Sunday, noted that the establishment of modular refineries would encourage industrialisation and job creation in the region to prevailing tension in the polity.
At a forum in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, Berefa, emphasized the urgent need for the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, and the international Oil Companies (IOCs) to collaborate in order to engender the much-needed development in the region.
He said, “Apart from oil , there are other resources in the Niger Delta region that have not been harnessed . We want the federal government to partner with the IOCs operating in the area to provide an enabling environment for industrialization.
“This is the only way our youths can prosper. The modular refineries should be built in the region so that youths can be engaged in operations of the refineries.”
He said the establishment of modular refineries would not only reduce the country’s over -dependence on imported refined products, but also provide a boost to the local communities by generating jobs and increasing revenue streams.
Berefa’s advocacy for industrialization, LEADERSHIP gathered, aligns with the long-standing concerns of key stakeholders in the Niger Delta, who have been grappling with environmental degradation and socio-economic challenges due to oil exploration activities.
He called on IOCs to engage in responsible practices and invest in sustainable projects “that would uplift the lives of the people living in the region including support and incentives to encourage private sector participation in the development of modular refineries and other industries in the Niger Delta.”
The Ijaw Youths image -maker also made a a case for comprehensive approach involving collaboration between all stakeholders to achieve long-term growth and prosperity in the region, and urged FG to formulate an action plan “that will encourage modular refineries and industrialisation to serve as a catalyst regional and national socio-economic transformation.”
