Prominent Niger Delta leaders have commended the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, for his commitment to developing Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and moving the country’s economy to a gas economy.
The Niger Delta leaders extolled Sylva for providing the necessary driving force for the region’s economic development.
They also called for greater understanding among stakeholders in the country’s oil and gas sector, endorsing the current drive by the Federal Government to transit into a gas economy.
The prominent Niger Delta leaders made these comments while touring the Federal Government projects in the region to evaluate and monitor their progress.
The leaders noted that the success of the regeneration of the country’s economy which the present government is committed to would depend to a great extent on the transition into a gas economy.
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Nigeria is looking at gas as a transition fuel to renewables.
The leaders emphasized the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), strategies to further harness the vast hydrocarbon deposit in the country, cheapness of renewable energy, products availability in all nooks and crannies of the region and strong collaboration among industry players.
They praised the Federal Government for discharging its responsibilities, establishing the 50 million-litre Petroleum Product Terminal in Brass, putting its feet on research and development and issuing new marginal field awards.
Spokesperson of the Niger Delta People’s Movement (NDPM), Ibifuro Tatua, in a statement on Monday praised the minister for his commitment to developing the oil and gas sector, moving the country’s economy to a gas economy and making Nigeria relevant in the global industrial drive.
The leaders spoke on strong capacities of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and the investment opportunities.
They listed the Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company, Oloibiri Oil and Gas Museum and the Oil and Gas Park in Ogbia as key projects of the current administration in the Niger Delta region.
The leaders commended Sylva for the successful hosting of the 2021 Nigeria International Energy Summit, increasing indigenous participation in the oil sector, curbing illegal refining, closing infrastructure gap in the distribution of petroleum products and stabilizing products pricing in the country.
Particularly, they hailed the minister for reducing youth restiveness in the Niger Delta region, liberalizing the market and creating employment opportunities for Nigerians.
The leaders said that Nigeria as a country has no choice but to transform into an industrialized nation with gas playing a major role.
