Minister
of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, has said that President
Muhammadu Buhari has not allocated oil blocs to any individual since he came
into office.
The minister made the clarification on Monday in Uyo at the
South-South region Town Hall Meeting organised by the Ministry of Information
and Culture.
The minister, who was responding to questions by some aggrieved
participants from the region over the inequitable distribution of oil blocs,
said that the Federal Government would be fair and just in giving out such
advantages.
“Since we came into office, the government has not allocated any
oil bloc.
“The president has said that he will need to correct the mess
created by the past administrations before we begin to think of giving out such
advantages.
“The president has emphasised to us, the ministers that there
should be no unjustifiable favour and any action we take we must be able to
defend it.
“When the time for the oil bloc allocation comes, it will follow
very clear due process,’’ he said.
Mr. Kachikwu stressed that he was one of those who believed that
the South-South people should benefit from oil blocs because it would be part
of “giving back to the chicken that laid the eggs”.
He said it
would go a long way to empower the people and make them to engage in genuine
oil deals, rather than being contractors to oil companies.
The minister, however, reiterated that when government wants to
consider the allocation, it would be given to those who have skills and the
finance to develop the blocs.
Mr. Kachikwu said that the Federal Government had finalised the
Integrated Power Project with Mobil Oil Company that would produce 500
megawatts of power as well as gas pipeline project in Akwa Ibom.
He said the total investment for the project, including
provision of infrastructure in the area of locations, was seven billion dollar.
The minister promised that the Federal Government would locate
oil depots and modular refineries in the state through private capital
intervention.
In addressing the challenges of militancy in the region, Mr.
Kachikwu said he had reached out to the Niger Delta Avengers for a truce with
the Federal Government to end destruction to oil installations.
He said the activity of the militants blowing up oil
installations was affecting the economy and government would use all means
possible to end it.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who was also at the
Town Hall Meeting, assured that the Federal Government would deliver on the
developmental projects it promised Nigerians.
According to him, “it is time to end the blame game and move
forward to concentrate on the delivery of democracy dividends.’’
He said government would deliver the Calabar to Lagos coastal
rail line project, the Calabar to Port Harcourt, and Lagos to Kano rail
projects to ease movement of people and goods.
Responding to an allegation from a member of the audience, Mr.
Amaechi said he did not influence the appointment of the Director-General of
Niger Delta Development Commission, Ibim Seminitari.
He said the insinuation that he lobbied the president to take
the position from an indigene of Akwa Ibom for Mrs. Seminitari in negation of
zoning arrangement was wrong.
The minister said the president had noted the zoning arrangement
and correction would be made.
Mr. Amaechi also said that government was in the process of
restructuring NIMASA in order to reposition it to deliver on its statutory
mandate.
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