Follow Us on Google
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State government has disclosed that it is forming a strategic partnership with Dangote Industries.
Governor Douye Diri had led a powerful delegation which included Amb. Godknows Igali and former Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, to visit the Dangote Refinery, Dangote Petrochemical Plant, and the Dangote Port in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
The governor and his entourage were received by the President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko. Dangote, and the Vice President, Oil and Gas of Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Edwin Devakumar.
During the visit, which lasted more than four hours, the team was taken around the expansive industrial complex housing the refinery, the fertiliser and urea production plant, various loading bays, the port, and the production control rooms among other facilities.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah, said the visit was a follow-up to an earlier meeting with Dangote in Nassau, The Bahamas, during the AFREXIM Bank annual meeting in June.
According to him, the visit was part of efforts to drive economic growth and development of the state.
Read also: Bayelsa court jails Otokito’s kidnappers for 40 years each
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa Elders Council has urged the state government to make massive investments in agricultural development and technical education to recalibrate the economy of the state towards self-sufficiency.
Other News
It says the only way to overcome the looming food crisis is for the government to be directly involved in crop, fish, livestock, and other areas of agricultural production as the subsisting peasant farming could no longer meet the food needs of the people.
This was the position of the Elders Council at its third quarter meeting of the year, which was held at the Niger Delta Wetlands Centre, Ekeki, Yenagoa.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Council, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Rtd), lamented the ever-rising level of food prices in the state due to neglect of the agricultural sector and the attendant high dependence on an external supply of foodstuffs.
He expressed worry about why youths who constitute the most productive demography in society are shying away from agriculture which has the potential to meet their financial and feeding needs.
Responding, Governor Douye Diri said his second-term administration would give the desired attention to agriculture to fight against the high prices of foodstuff as well as enable the government to expand its revenue base.
Represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the governor promised to adopt a multi-dimensional approach in tackling the problems facing food and fish production in the state.
According to him, the establishment of the Ministry of Blue Economy in the state speaks volumes of his administration’s readiness to harness the state’s maritime resources for job and wealth creation.
The governor expressed optimism that the state government which has already built some vocational schools across the state would succeed in its ongoing effort to promote vocational education and self-reliance, particularly among the youths of the state.
