ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, YENAGOA
As the plan to build the state modular refinery is in the offing, Bayelsa State government has appealed to investors to partner it to make the initiative realizable.
Technical Adviser to the Governor on Investment, Dr Jonathan Obuebite, who made the request in Yenagoa, the state capital, said that the project would help fasttrack the socio-economic development of the state.
He spoke during the Bayelsa Economic Roundtable convened by the Coordinator, Bayelsa Think Tank Group, Mr Ebiekure Eradiri.
He also said that plans were underway to revitalise the Bayelsa State Gas Turbine to ensure stable power supply in the state, saying that power remains the panacea for all segments of the economy to grow.
Obuebite, a two-time former commissioner in the state said: “Economy is all about investment, and investment is the driver of economy. For us as a government, we are looking at the oil and gas sector and we are appealing to investors to come.
“For any economy to grow, you need power. For agriculture to succeed you also need power. The state has the Bayelsa State Gas Turbine. As I speak, the government is into talks with different groups. We want them to come and take over that gas turbine, make it viable, sell power to the state government and Bayelsans. It is our property, it is our investment but let us also be customers to our own investment as offtakers.
“Secondly, we are talking about building our refinery. You know they talk about modular refineries and the rest. Bayelsa has all it takes, so we are trying to encourage the investors to partner the state government to build a refinery.
“As I speak, I am happy that some of my colleagues are here. We are in different committees. We are discussing and engaging different persons. The offers are there; they have indicated interest. But investment is not something that you do haphazardly. It is a process. You have to cross the t’s and dot the i’s.”
He assured the people of the state that the Douye Diri administration remained more than committed to making Bayelsans and the government to think out of the box to change the investment narrative in the state.
“The fact is that with allocation, we can’t move Bayelsa to where we are going. The states that are succeeding here in this country do not depend on monthly allocation. I want to say to all Bayelsans: please tighten your seatbelt, we are ready to sail and we are ready to move and Bayelsa will turn out to be one of the investment destinations in this country,” he added.
Also speaking, Commissioner for Agriculture, David Alagoa, said all hands must be on the deck to move agriculture to the next level in the state.
“One of our goals is to ensure that everybody who wants to farm can farm. If we are going to develop our farming, it is not Douye Diri that is going to make prosperity happen, he is to drive the process. It is left for us all to make it happen.
“We appeal to Bayelsans at all levels to accept what the governor is doing in the sector. We must all think outside the box to move agriculture to the next level in the state. Let all of us be passionate about moving forward. In 2021, there is a lot dedicated to mechanised farming in the state,” Alagoa said.