WHY FG NEEDS TO COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION OF GAS REVOLUTION INDUSTRIAL PARK, GRIP (OGIDIGBEN EPZ PROJECT) AND ESCRAVOS ENVIRONS POWER SUPPLY PROJECT IN WARRI SOUTH-WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, DELTA STATE

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         October 9, 2016

The President and Commander In-Chief

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Muhammadu Buhari

Aso Rock Villa

Abuja,

Your Excellency

Permit me to leverage on this rare privilege to congratulate you, Mr. President and indeed all Nigerians on the 56^th Independence Anniversary of Our Great Nation.

Sir, it would have been most honourable to route this passionate appeal through the leadership of our great party at the State level if there was a credible sense of belonging, but sadly that is not the case for now. An APC faithful like me, who has committed everything to strengthen the party against brick-walls and restructure it in Delta State, can only pray that things get better soon.

Your Excellency, I cannot but once again commend your administration for literally decimating the hitherto vicious Boko Haram, reclaiming our lost territories, boosting the morale of the Nigerian Military in dealing with all forms of insurrection across the country, tackling crime as well as criminality and more than ever bringing Niger Delta Militancy almost to a foreseeable end. These have been achieved with increased intelligence, networking, equipping and retraining of Officers and Men.

Mr. President, I have never been an advocate of using violence to attract Federal or State Government attention, but that does not mean that the Niger Delta Region has not been suffering neglect despite the huge resources derived from the area. You will recall that I was in the forefront amongst Niger Delta leaders, who solicited severally that your administration be given time to address our grievances, especially environmental degradation, underdevelopment and unemployment. But now that the so called ceasefire has been declared by the militants and their sponsors, permit me to strongly appeal that your administration immediately initiate steps to commence work at the multibillion dollar Gas Revolution Industrial Park and Escravos Environs Power Supply Project in Warri South West Local Government Area. It will go a long way to bring permanent peace to the Niger Delta.

The determination by your administration to diversify our economy from over-dependence on crude oil and gas to agriculture/agro allied, solid minerals, manufacturing and other forms of non-oil revenues, is indeed heartwarming as well as a reassurance that a greater future awaits the largest black Nation in the world.

Mr. President, the optimism of the afore-stated vis-à-vis the imperative of permanently ending Niger Delta Militancy and Pipeline Vandalism has necessitated me to write you this open letter.

It’s vitally important to note at this juncture that despite consultations and presentations with the relevant authorities as well as heads of parastatals in recent times which I embarked on, there is need to humbly appeal to Your Excellency to give serious attention to renewed calls for work to recommence at the Gas Revolution Industrial Park, GRIP, Ogidigben in Warri South-West Local Government Area and the Escravos Environs Power Supply Project, also in the oil-rich Local Government Area in Delta State. In as much as no excuse will be accepted for anyone to partake in crime and criminal activities, it is however salient to stress that the ongoing strides being recorded by the military hierarchy, distinguished members of the Federal Executive Council, ostensibly on Your Excellency’s directive will maximally achieve its set goals if construction work resumes at the Gas Revolution Industrial Park, GRIP, Ogidigben as well as Escravos Environs Power Supply Project.

Sir, it may interest you to know that all forms of criminality and pipeline vandalism got to almost zero during the construction of Escravos Gas to Liquid Project, EGTL which engaged estimated 10,000 workers. This was further boosted with the engagement of sizeable number of Deltans in Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC.

Your Excellency, surprisingly the number of persons engaged during the construction of EGTL and those employed in DESOPADEC put together, is a tip of the iceberg compared to the workforce needed if construction work begins at the site of Gas Revolution Industrial Park, GRIP, Ogidigben (the project site has already been cleared). All the Federal and Delta State Governments need to do is to create the enabling environment, set the right policy direction as well as ensure adequate security and the project with a massive employment capacity from ready-foreign investors will take-off in earnest. The over $16 billion GRIP Project billed to accommodate a major Industrial Gas Hub and Petrochemical, Methanol as well as Fertilizer Plant will create over 150, 000 direct and indirect jobs at the construction stage and set the tone for the eagerly anticipated diversification of our economy. No doubt, the Agricultural, Manufacturing and Solid Minerals sectors will be greatly boosted, Niger Delta Militancy will be brought to non-existence and the ongoing effort to take our country out of recession will be realized.

Your Excellency, another project that is germane to our corporate existence, particularly the indigenous people of Warri South-West Local Government Area and by implication Delta State, is the Escravos Environs Power Supply Project. This mega project is a part of NGC ELPS System-A Network which passes the host communities in the Escravos Shore, Warri South-West Local Government Area. It must be explicitly stated that 30 oil and gas host/ impacted communities will benefit in the project which is outside the Power Supply and distribution network of the National Grid. This is not forgetting the communities’ huge agro based potentials.

Sir, a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU was signed 10^th May 2012 between the Federal Government, represented by former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, Federal Ministry of Power, represented by the then Minister of State for Power, Darius Ishaku, NGC/NNPC, Chevron, Delta State Government, represented by the former Deputy Governor, Professor Amos Utuama, a prominent leader on behalf of Itsekiri Communities and somebody on behalf of the Ijaw communities for the project which is expected to produce no less than 20 megawatts of electricity, yet nothing concrete to show till date.

One of the major reasons for the project was to stop vandalism of gas lines, because people of the communities who will benefit from the Power Supply project will do everything humanly possible to ensure that the gas pipelines are not vandalized so as not plunge their communities into darkness. Your Excellency, I just returned from my community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State and I am saddened at the level of darkness my people are undergoing as a result of vandalism of critical facilities belonging to SPDC. The company which has been supplying electricity to my community through generators is unable to pay contractors due to incessant vandalism. The monumental benefits of Escravos Environs Power Supply Project in terms of job creation, stimulation of industrial growth, encouraging Urban-Rural drift and ultimately boosting the aquatic lives of the affected communities cannot be over-emphasized.

Immediately after the appointment of Federal Ministers, I personally briefed the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu  on the GRIP project which the last administration performed the Ground-Breaking. The NNPC has invested huge sum of money on this project which should not be allowed to rot away, but till date the Hon. Minister has not deemed it fit to visit the project site. The same story goes for the Hon. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Dr. Raji Babatunde Fashola as it affects the Escravos Environs Supply Project. With this calibre of distinguished professionals, I won’t have bothered you if action was taken on my patriotic requests. Sir may I implore you to detail your Ministers to do the needful as far as the GRIP and Escravos Environs Power Supply Projects are concerned.

I will also not fail to passionately appeal Sir, that you dutifully follow the road-map for the development of the Niger Delta and pay less attention to self-styled leaders who do not care for the ordinary people of the region.

Thanks in anticipation

Chief Ayirimi Emami

Ajuwaoyiboyami of Warri Kingdom A.KA Akulagba

APC Chieftain

Cc:

*The Honourable Minister for Works, Power and Housing

*The Honourable Minister for Transport

*The Honourable Minister for Niger Delta Affairs

*The Honourable Minister of State For Petroleum Resources

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