The State Government has reiterated its commitment to maintaining a harmonious working relationship with the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and affiliate bodies operating in Calabar Petroleum Depot to revamp the state’s oil sector.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Anthony Owan Enoh, disclosed this when IPMAN leadership in the state, led by Prince Robert Obi, visited him in his office.
Enoh thanked the delegation for the visit and lauded the oil sector players for their efforts to amicably resolve issues while putting the overall interest of all stakeholders above personal interests.
Addressing a misconstrued notion arising from his presence at an event involving the national IPMAN official and others in Calabar, he insisted that he was there in an individual capacity, not as an official of the government.
According to him, “When last we met with Mr. Asue, somehow the impression was that the state government was being partisan because my presence at the occasion signaled government support for the action of Mr Okim Abang.
“When I got the reaction from IPMAN stakeholders, I did one thing which someone said was very unusual. To write a kind of apology explaining that my presence at the said event was purely personal, the reason why I did not make any statement. So when I heard of the outcry from you, I had to tender my unreserved apology with all humility.”
Harping on the importance of the oil sector and the need for cooperation, Prof. Enoh posited, “I think the state government is grateful for the hard work and harmony in the oil sector.
“The Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on oil, and any sneeze in the sector affects the entire nation. CRS is not excluded. It would have been very unreasonable for the state government, by my presence, to be the one to cause any problem in the oil sector.
“We crave harmony in the oil sector. Because only through harmony, calm, and understanding among stakeholders can the government have the best. We know the role you play in terms of your contributions to the growth of the economy of the state in supply, taxes, and other revenue sources.
“We thank God that we are now on the same page. On the same page, we shall continue to drive the affairs of this state, using the oil sector to derive the best for the government, he averred.
Reassuring IPMAN of government support, the SSG remarked: “I am, on this day, on behalf of the government, conveying its position that the present administration stands for peace, harmony, understanding, cooperation, and growth. No one man can do it alone. Not the government, not you. We must come together in synergy to get the best for this state.
“Therefore, we welcome you to this office, wishing that going forward, the state government can work in partnership with the various stakeholders in the oil sector for the betterment of our dear state and nation at large,” while reminding them of the Otu-led administration’s ‘people first’ mantra, concluding that “Governor Bassey Otu is here to give Cross Rivererians the best of leadership.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Prince Robert Obi, used the opportunity to congratulate Governor Bassey Otu and his deputy, Rt formally Hon Peter Odey, on their electoral victory, inauguration, and assumption of office, as well as the governor’s wise selection of a technocrat in the person of Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh as Secretary to the State Government.
Obi said the purpose of the visit was to introduce the IPMAN leadership and stakeholders of the Depot community to the government through the SSG, solicit the present administration’s support, as well as pledge IPMAN’s unflinching cooperation to the Otu-led government.
The IPMAN boss thanked Prof. Enoh for his humility in tendering an apology over his hitherto misconstrued presence at an event and advised the government to be wary of individual’s crisis-prone machinations intended to cause chaos between host communities and the depots.
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