Dr Ibe Kachikwu
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Uyo
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has assured of his ministry resolve to build a petroleum depot and modular refineries in Akwa Ibom through private capital intervention. Kachikwu gave the assurances on Monday in Uyo at the South-South Town Hall meeting organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.
He said: “I will ensure that there is a petroleum depot in Akwa Ibom through Public Private Partnership (PPP). Modular refineries remain the key to development and peace in the Niger Delta region and will reduce youth restiveness.”
The minister said that Akwa Ibom would soon witness massive private investment in oil and gas as ExxonMobil and others had concluded arrangements to build power plants and methanol facility.
He commended the state for remaining the most peaceful in the Niger Delta region and encouraged the people to support the Buhari administration in revamping decayed infrastructure.
The minister appealed to a new militant group in the region, the Niger Delta Avengers, and those aggrieved in the region to give peace a chance while assuring that the Federal Government was ready for dialogue.
Speaking in similar vein at the question and answer session of the meeting, the minister said that the Federal Government would continue to ensure even development and maintenance of infrastructure in the region.
In his presentation, the Transport Minister, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would fulfill all the campaign promises within this four years of its tenure.
“We will give you development in the region. If we do not give you development do not vote for us when we come to you,” Amaechi said.
He promised that the railway lines from Calabar passing through Uyo to Aba would be completed within the next one year.
Amaechi said that the Minister of State for Aviation would accompany him to inspect the maintenance, overhaul and repairs (MOR) facilities at Akwa Ibom Airport with the view of making use of them.
He said that his ministry would collaborate with Akwa Ibom government to ensure the completion of the Ibom Deep Seaport.
In another presentation, the Budget and Planning Minister, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, said that the violence in the Niger Delta region had affected the country revenue negatively.
Udoma said that government was planning to diversify the economy by focusing on agriculture.
“We intend to be the net exporter of rice by 2018, we are liaising with the states, we are working extremely well. We are determined to change the structure the Nigerian economy, providing employment for teeming youths,” Udoma said.
He said that the government was targeting single digit interest rate in borrowing, disclosing that farmers were getting nine per cent interest rate at the moment.
Udoma assured the people that the dual carriage way from Calabar to Aba through Ikot Ekpene-Odukpani Road had been captured in this years budget.
The Minister also told the audience that the 2016 budget of the Federal Government “is unique and restructured completely from the past.”
He said 30 per cent of the budget was allocated to capital project compared to last year’s budget which had only 11 per cent capital. Udoma said that N250 billion was voted for road projects compared to N18 billion voted in 2015 budget.
He said the government had built strategic implementation plans with 24 measurable actions to ensure the execution of the budget.
In his remarks the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also disclosed that contractors had resumed work in no less than five major Federal Government road projects across the country.
Mohammed said that Julius Berger and RCC had returned to site at the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, while the CGC had started work on the Bode Sadu-Jebba road and the Abuja-Lokoja road.
He said that achinese construction giant, the CCECC, had also been mobilised to the Kano-Maiduguri road, while the RCC had resumed work at the Loko and Oweto bridge linking Nasarawa and Benue states.
According to the minister the second Niger Bridge was captured in the 2016 budget and work is expected to start soon.
He noted that with the resumption of work at the sites, the federal government would expect that Nigerians would be back to work, in fulfillment of its promise to create jobs.
“As contractors are mobilised back to various road construction projects across the country, building and ancillary workers are returning to work in droves. Let me list some of the road construction works that have now resumed. As more and more road construction works resume in the days ahead, thousands of Nigerians will also be returning to work.”
Mohammed said that government had also started the process of recruiting and training of 500,000 teachers, specifically targeting unemployed university graduates.
He said the online recruitment, through the portal ‘npower.gov.ng’, came on stream at the weekend.
He said that an agreement had been signed to reposition the River Basin Development Authorities within the next 18-24 months.
According to him, the agreement signed with the Songhai Farms of Benin Republic includes the training of unemployed youths in integrated farm practice.
“This programme is complimentary to the upcoming Youth Agriculture Empowerment Programme being planned by Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.” he said.
The minister assured that the process of every employment opportunity by the government would be made transparent.
On the economy, he said government was working to provide fresh but conditional financial support for states, many of which have been finding it difficult to pay their workers’ salaries.
“This will be a follow-up to such support – call it bailout if you like – which the Federal Government gave to the states last year.This will go a long way in ensuring industrial peace and providing succor to thousands of Nigerians and their dependents,” he said.
He then thanked the host Governor, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom for the warm reception and immense support to the success of the town hall meeting.
He said: “This is the first time we are holding this town hall meeting in a state that is not controlled by our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and we are surely not disappointed. You have proven that though we may not share the same political platform, we all believe in the oneness of this country.You have set a good example that we hope all others will follow.
“It has lent credence to the statement by President Buhari, that he will be the President of all Nigerians, including those who voted for him and those who did not.”
The town hall meeting hosted by his ministry to give account of stewardship of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to the people.
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