In spite of controversy trailing the performance of its intervention agency, the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Federal Government has been scored high in performance in the South-South states.
A voluntary think tank group, the APC Legacy Awareness and Campaign has said there have been remarkable development initiatives in the oil-producing states under President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
A statement signed by the spokesperson of the APC Legacy Awareness and Campaign, Barrister Ismail Ahmed,
Lanre Issa-Onilu and Tolu Ogunlesi recalled projects related to oil and gas sectors of the economy in the upstream and downstream sectors which have impacted positively on the lives of residents of the Niger Delta region.
“Until 2016, there was only one functioning Modular Refinery in the Niger Delta, with a capacity to refine 1,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Today, spurred by the Buhari Administration’s New Vision for the Niger Delta, there are several Modular Refinery construction projects ongoing across the Niger Delta, all led by the private sector.
“The original 1,000 bpd Refinery in Rivers State, which began operations in 2011, has under President Buhari’s watch expanded into an 11,000 bpd facility. In November 2020 President Buhari commissioned the first phase of the Waltersmith Refinery in Imo State. The OPAC Refinery in Delta State has also been completed. The ones in Edo and Bayelsa States are under construction, while Waltersmith has flagged off construction of its second phase.
“One of the biggest investments Nigeria has seen in a while is the Train 7 of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, in Bonny, Rivers State. More than a decade after Train 6 was completed and launched, President Buhari has in 2021 flagged off the construction of Train 7. Until he became President, the project had stalled, the victim of a lack of political will from the previous administration. The Train 7 project will attract around $10 billion dollars of domestic and foreign investment, while creating several thousand jobs, and asserting Nigeria’s place on the global map of gas-producing countries.
“Several other investments are ongoing across the Niger Delta, spurred by the relative peace and security being enjoyed, as well as the President’s unwavering commitment to develop the region and help it make up for decades of neglect, pollution and underinvestment. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is developing, among other projects, a pioneering Oil and Gas Park in Bayelsa State, scheduled for completion at the end of 2022. The Park will be serviced by a 10MW power plant.”
The APC group also recalled a remediation programme to mitigate the deplorable state of the host communities, particularly the Ogoniland in Rivers State occasioned by negative consequences of mineral exploitation, in particular oil extractive activities as it noted that “under President Buhari’s watch, the Ogoni Clean-Up has finally kicked off. The procurement process for the clean-up commenced in 2018, while the actual remediation commenced in January 2019, with the handing over of the first batch of 21 sites to the selected contractors, for remediation. A second batch of sites was handed over in February 2020. Fifteen sites have now been fully cleaned, while work continues on others.
“In addition to the remediation, the Clean Up project is also rehabilitating old water schemes and constructing new ones across Ogoniland. One of the first tasks in the Clean-Up was a water quality assessment in all four local governments that make up Ogoniland. The Project will also make interventions in healthcare facilities and systems in the region. The Clean-Up has so far created hundreds of jobs for locals.”
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Buhari’s economic initiatives have stimulated growth in Niger Delta region ― APC Legacy group
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