By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa
YENAGOA — Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri; and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, have commended Azikel Group for its commitment to industrialising Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta region.
The leaders spoke on Monday while inspecting the Crude Distillation Unit, CDU, and other facilities at the Azikel Refinery in Obunagha, Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
They also pledged continued support for the successful completion of the multi-billion-naira refinery project.
Representing Governor Diri at the event, his deputy, Dr Peter Akpe, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project, describing it as a major step towards industrialising the state, creating jobs and opening new economic opportunities for residents.
Akpe congratulated the President of Azikel Group, Dr Azibapu Eruani, and his team on the successful procurement of the CDU, describing the equipment as the most critical component of a refinery and a significant milestone towards completion of the project.
He said industrialisation remained a key component of the Prosperity Administration’s agenda, adding that the government’s responsibility was to create an enabling environment for businesses and investments to thrive.
According to him, the state government’s ongoing road projects were aimed at improving connectivity and providing easier access to industrial investments, including the refinery.
He urged Bayelsans to take advantage of employment and skills-development opportunities that would emerge from the project, while cautioning against commercialising opportunities meant for the people.
He said: “The Prosperity Government, which is the agenda that we propagate, has industry and industrialisation as one of the major things. As a government, our business is to provide or enhance ease of doing business.
“Our universities have got graduates that can fit into most of the levels that will be available.”
Akpe, however, stressed the need for local residents to acquire the necessary skills and capacity to participate meaningfully in the investment.
Also speaking, Dame Patience Jonathan commended the state government for supporting the project, particularly through infrastructure development and improved road access to the refinery.
She said the investment was significant because Bayelsa had traditionally depended heavily on government, stressing that sustainable development required investments capable of creating wealth rather than dependence solely on salaries and statutory allocations.
Dame Jonathan described the refinery as an investment that deserved the collective support of the government, host communities and other stakeholders.
She said: “It is not the amount of money you get at the moment, but the investment you put on ground that matters.”
In his remarks, NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said the refinery would have a multiplier effect on Bayelsa’s economy through job creation and increased business activities.
Ogbuku said the project could also boost passenger traffic at the Bayelsa International Airport by attracting investors, contractors and other business interests to the state.
He urged Bayelsans, particularly youths, to prepare themselves to benefit from the opportunities that would be created by the investment rather than remain spectators.
The NDDC boss also commended the state government for improving road access to the refinery, saying the infrastructure had made the investment more accessible and demonstrated the government’s preparedness for the economic opportunities associated with the project.
On his part, Eruani described the refinery as a major industrial milestone for Bayelsa State and Nigeria, saying the arrival of the CDU had taken the project to a critical stage.
He disclosed that the refinery, with a capacity of 25,000 barrels per day and an estimated investment value of about $1 billion, would produce petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, naphtha and heavy fuel oil.
Eruani said the arrival of the CDU marked the culmination of eight years of work and represented a significant step towards actualising the refinery project.
He explained that the CDU took more than three years to construct in South Korea before it was transported to Nigeria on a specially chartered vessel.
The Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, King Bubaraye Dakolo; former Chief Operating Officer, Refinery and Petrochemical, NNPC, Mr Mustapha Yakubu; and other dignitaries also delivered goodwill messages at the event.
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