NEWS
Bayelsa Gov’t Urges FG to Establish Gas Terminal, Restart Brass Fertilizer Plant
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Government has called on the federal government to establish a liquefied natural gas terminal in the state to optimize economic benefits accruing from the gas sub-sector of the country’s petroleum industry.
The state Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo made the call when the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon.
Ekperikpe Ekpo, paid a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa.Ewhrudjakpo, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Doubara Atasi also stressed the need for the federal government to resume and complete work on the abandoned Brass Fertilizer Company for the general good of the country.
Describing Bayelsa as the headquarters of gas in Nigeria, the Deputy Governor lamented that the state had nothing commensurate to show for its huge natural gas endowment and contribution to the economic development of the nation.
According to him, about 60 percent of the total gas feedstock or supply to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal at Bonny Island was transported from Bayelsa.
He maintained that it would make a lot of economic sense for the Federal Government to establish another gas processing and export terminal in Bayelsa in its next phase of investment in the sub-sector to cut off the cost of transporting the raw material.
On the Brass Fertilizer Plant, the Deputy Governor said the State Government was prepared to partner all relevant federal authorities to ensure that work on the project takes off the ground.
He equally appealed to the visiting Minister to prevail on the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to ensure that companies handling fabrication components of contracts carried out such projects in the state to meaningfully engage youths in relevant areas.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo said his team was in Bayelsa to meet with the management of the NCDMB to work out modalities for improvement in the gas subsector of the petroleum industry.
He said the current federal government takes the issue of developing the gas subsector seriously with a view to reducing the cost of transportation in the country.
The Minister commended Governor Douye Diri for identifying with President Bola Tinubu, particularly his timely and mature handling of the “End Bad Governance” protest and thereby sustaining peace in the state.
“I am here in Bayelsa to meet with the NCDMB management team to deliberate and discuss the issue of gas; how we are going to progress in that sector. And of course, gas is the way to go today.
“The progress of Nigeria today depends on gas. With gas in total circulation, there would be reduction in transportation fare. The economy of this country does well with gas because we have it in abundance. That is why I am here.
“Let me use this opportunity to equally thank you and the Governor of Bayelsa State, for what I have heard that you have appointed two members of the APC as commissioners into your state executive council. This is how politics should be played, and I believe if we take it in this route, peace will be sustained.
“Thank you for maintaining peace in Bayelsa State. I heard on the first day of the end of the bad governance protest, when the boys came out, the Governor addressed them and asked them to relax; assuring everything would be put in place.
“I wouldn’t be here if there was continued protest in Bayelsa. So, I salute your courage; I salute your government, and I salute the people of Bayelsa State for identifying with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu,” he said.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party Young Leaders Alliance (PDP- YLA) has issued an apology and retracted its protest against Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over allegations of misappropriation of funds during his tenure as Zamfara State governor.
The group had staged a demonstration on Friday at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters in Abuja, urging the anti-graft agency to investigate the minister.
In a statement released on Saturday, PDP-YLA spokesperson Muhammed Usman admitted the protest was based on “misleading and politically motivated information.”
He described the allegations as a “deliberate smear campaign” orchestrated by political opponents to tarnish Matawalle’s reputation and distract him from his national duties.
“I was misled by exaggerated claims aimed at discrediting the minister,” Usman said, urging Nigerians to disregard the narrative.
The PDP-YLA called on Nigerians to focus on Matawalle’s contributions to national security under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The group also commended Tinubu’s nation-building efforts and urged citizens to support initiatives aimed at repositioning Nigeria for development”.
Speaking further, he noted that the Zamfara State Government is planning another protest and promised to give us 50 million naira just to tarnish Matawalle’s name, but we rejected it.
Their fear is nothing but the issue of a state of emergency, and they are doing everything possible to distract the people’s attention from it. That is why they’re busy mentioning Matawalle’s name everywhere.
By David Torough, Abuja
A member of Nigeria’s opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has publicly disavowed his role in a recent protest targeting Bello Matawalle, the country’s Minister of State for Defence, claiming the demonstration was a politically motivated scheme orchestrated by the Zamfara State Government.
Kamilu Ibrahim, who identified himself as an active PDP member and one of the protest’s organisers, issued a statement on Saturday retracting his involvement and apologising to Matawalle. “It’s important to note that I am not an indigene of Zamfara State, and none of the participants come from Zamfara State.”He alleged that the protest was not driven by genuine grievances but was instead sponsored by Zamfara’s PDP-led government under Governor Dauda Lawal Dare to discredit Matawalle, a prominent figure in the rival All Progressives Congress (APC).Ibrahim said Dauda promised us $100 to each protester, and we have over 330 members. He has not kept his promise.”The reason we are begging Matawalle to forgive us is that we found out we were fooled and misled by false information to deceive the public. “We are sorry for any damage we have caused you, Ibrahim told Matawalle.“I believed at the time that our actions were justified,” Ibrahim said. “However, after reviewing the facts and listening to credible reports, I now realise that the allegations against Matawalle are unfounded and politically motivated.”Ibrahim further claimed that the organisers of the protest were not APC members, as reported in some media outlets, but PDP loyalists acting on instructions from the Zamfara State Government. He accused Governor Lawal of orchestrating the campaign to undermine Matawalle for political gain. Ibrahim suggested that Governor Lawal has been avoiding a summons by Nigeria’s National Assembly, fearing that a federal inquiry could expose administrative failures and potentially lead to the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.“Governor Lawal is deliberately avoiding the National Assembly’s invitation,” Ibrahim alleged, citing concerns that an investigation could reveal “the truth” about the state’s security and governance challenges.Ibrahim’s statement casts fresh doubt on the credibility of the allegations against him, framing them as part of a broader political vendetta.In his statement, Ibrahim expressed regret for his role in the protest and sought Matawalle’s forgiveness. “I sincerely apologise to Honourable Bello Matawalle for the role I played,” he said, vowing not to participate in “such deceitful agendas” in the future.
The Head of Mechanical department of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr Ijacha Ego, has urged stakeholders, especially, manufacturers to always seek its assistance in the area of quality control for their products.Delivering a lecture titled: “The Impact of SON Activities on the Nation’s Economy Development” at its sensitisation workshop in Asaba on Friday, Mr Ego noted that the main task of SON is to ensure quality of products in the country.
Giving an overview of activities of SON, Ego disclosed the organisation has multiple testing laboratories tor products and urged the stakeholders to get closer to the organisation for quality control of their products and goods. ”Get close to SON, SON is available and willing to support your businesses, ” he emphasised.In his presentation titled: ”Promoting Quality and Standards Culture via Self- Regulation And Ethic Codes”, The Head of Department, Science Laboratory Technology, Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-ukwu, Mr Timothy Oni, emphasised the need for owners of businesses to establish clear policy and procedures to ensure better compliance.Oni, a guest speaker, advised them to always ensure they educated their employees through regular training as well as regular auditing.Also, the Director of SON in charge of the South South Zone, Mrs Patience Kussy-Wanza, in her presentation, urged the participants to prioritise promotion of quality standards through self-regulation and observations of ethics to increase their organisation’s profit.“It will earn you tremendous respect, unquantifiable goodwill and global recognition, all of which significantly ensure globally competitiveness.”She emphasised that apart from being a regulatory agency, “we are indeed your partner in this critical imperative.”We are willing and available to support you to embrace standards and qualify assurance in your operations with just a visit or a call for necessary support or information”.(NAN)
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