From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The President of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural non-political organisation, the Ijaw National Congress INC, Professor Benjamin Okaba, has hailed the construction of the proposed Gas Processing Plant and Embedded Power in Adagbabiri, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Okaba speaking over the weekend at the ground breaking ceremony of the project noted that the decision of Obodofei Integrated Services, an indigenous firm to site the project in Ijaw land is evidence that the Ijaws are not lazy but are only deprived of opportunities to make their own wealth by the Nigerian State.
According to him it is unfortunate that the federal government has labelled the Ijaw people as criminals because of their demanded for resource control and resource management
He commended the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer CEO of the firm Mr. Pius Wareyai for changing the narrative by leading the way for the industrialization of Ijaw nation through the Gas Plant in an Ijaw community.
The INC President who described the Ijaw people as generally peaceful, assured the partners and investors that the people will safeguard and protect the facility and take it as their own as they know the benefits that will accrue to them from the project.
Okaba said: “I want to quickly say that the Ijaw nation is elated with this latest development. Today we are gathered to celebrate indigenous expertise and commitment to development.
“We are gathered because one of us has decided to change the narrative. Hitherto, Ijaw people are christen as restive, they are known as kidnappers, oil bunkers and all the negative ascriptions are given to Ijaw people because Nigerian nation who has stolen our wealth, exploited us, deprived us and raped us of our God given wealth. They have called us criminals because we have demanded for resource control and resource management.
“Pius Wareyai has opened the way for the industrialization of Ijaw nation. Pius is not the only person in his category but he has decided to show a positive difference worthy of emulation by all of us. I want to particularly thank the NNPC and the foreign partners and delegation from other federal parasatals who have deem it fit to either partner or support this laudable programme.”
In his speech, the Chairman and CEO of Obodofei Integrated Services, Mr Pius Wareyai, said he was led by God to cite the project in the Adagbabiri community and expressed the assurance that the project when completed will create jobs and bring development to the area.
Also speaking, the Executive Director, Administration, Policy and Documentation, Dr. Steve Bassey pointed out that the goal of the project is to mobilise both technical and financial resources locally and internationally to establish best in gas processing and embedded power plants.
