Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The member representing Ogbia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Fred Obua has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the construction of the Oloibiri Oil and Gas Museum and Research Centre, sixty-four years after the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities in that town.
The symbolic project was recently launched by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva with the inauguration of key project committees and setting up of delivery timelines.
The lawmaker in a statement made available to journalists in Yenagoa also commended Sylva for driving the project alongside key institutions like the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Shell Petroleum and Development Company (SPDC) and the Bayelsa State Government.
Obua noted that the deliberate timeline for the project which includes eight months pre construction activities and 36 months for the main construction from the date of commencement, further underscores the seriousness of the Buhari administration to deliver it in good time.
He particularly thanked Governor Douye Diri for his support of the project by agreeing to provide the enabling environment for its success and sustenance as well as 10 percent of the project cost.
The lawmaker pointed out that the governor’s commitment is a clear indication of his interest in developing the state which he has placed far and above parochial and partisan consideration.
Obua maintained that Diri’s strategic partnership with the All Progressive Congress led Federal Government is also a testament of his disposition to do more collaboration and the fact that he places Bayelsa’s development first and above any political party, sectional or petty leanings.
He said: “The Federal Government made good its intention for the people of Bayelsa and the Niger Delta with the approval for the establishment of an Oil and Gas Museum and Research Centre in Oloibiri.
“This landmark project which has been on the drawing board for over three decades will change the lives of the people of Oloibiri and Ogbia in general. It will not only stimulate the economy of the state and Nigeria, but attract an unprecedented level of development to the area.
The lawmaker appealed to President Buhari to also approve the construction of a dual carriageway from Yenagoa that will pass through Oloibiri and link the Ogbia/Nembe road noting that the road leading to the proposed site of the museum is currently in a deplorable state and as such not befitting.
Obua who equally solicited for the provision of potable water urged the NCDMB to extend its electricity supply arrangement with the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) to Oloibiri and other communities to end the darkness that has continued to pervade the area.
