BY John Odhe, YENAGOA
The Azikel Group, owners of Azikel Refinery, has been commended for industrialising Bayelsa State, the Niger Delta, Nigeria and creating jobs for the unemployed.
Wife of Nigeria’s former president, Dame Patience Jonathan, Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Chief Samuel Ogbuku made the commendation on Monday.
The leaders spoke while inspecting the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and other facilities at the Azikel Refinery at Obunagha community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
They also pledged continued support for the successful completion of the multi-billion naira refinery project.
Speaking at the event, Diri represented by his deputy, Dr Peter Akpe, expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far by the Azikel Group.
In a statement by the spokesman to the deputy governor, Diri described the refinery project as a major step towards industrialising the state, creating employment and opening new economic opportunities for the people.
Diri congratulated president of the Azikel Group, Dr Azibapu Eruani and his team on the successful procurement of the CDU, which is the most critical component of a refinery, describing the feat as a significant milestone towards completing the project.
The governor said industrialisation remained an integral part of his prosperity administration’s agenda, noting that government’s responsibility was to create an enabling environment for businesses and investments to thrive.
According to him, the state government’s ongoing road projects were designed to improve connectivity and provide easier access to industrial investments, including the refinery.
He urged Bayelsans to take advantage of the opportunities that would emerge from the project, particularly employment and skills development, and warned the people against commercialising opportunities meant for them.
His words: “The Prosperity Government, which is the agenda that we propagate, has industry and industrialisation as one of the major things. As a government, our business is to provide or enhance ease of doing business.”
“Our universities have got graduates that can fit into most of the levels that will be available,” stressing that local people must develop the capacity to participate meaningfully in the investment.
Also speaking, former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, applauded the Bayelsa State government for supporting the project, particularly through infrastructure development and improved road access to the refinery.
She said the investment was significant because Bayelsa had traditionally depended heavily on government, stressing that sustainable development depended more on investments that create wealth than totally relying on monthly salaries and allocations.
Jonathan described the refinery as an investment that should receive the collective support of government, communities and other stakeholders, saying its benefits would extend beyond the company to the wider economy.
According to her, “It is not the amount of money you get at the moment, but the investment you put on ground that matters. What you are doing is not for you alone; it is for all of us.”
In his remarks, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Ogbuku, stressed that the refinery would have a multiplier effect on Bayelsa’s economy, particularly through job creation and increased business activities.
Ogbuku maintained that the project could also help boost traffic at the Bayelsa International Airport by attracting investors, contractors and other business interests into the state.
The NDDC helmsman stressed the need for Bayelsans, particularly young people not to be spectators to the investment but rather prepare and position themselves to benefit from the opportunities it would create.
He also lauded the state government for improving road access to the refinery, saying the infrastructure had helped to make the investment more accessible and demonstrated that the state was preparing for the economic opportunities associated with the project.
On his part, the President of Azikel Group, Eruani, described the project as a major industrial milestone for Bayelsa and Nigeria, saying the refinery had reached a critical stage with the arrival of the CDU.
He disclosed that the refinery, with a capacity of 25,000 barrels per day and an investment value of about one billion dollar, would produce petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, kerosene, LPG, naphtha and heavy fuel oil.
Eruani said the arrival of the CDU represented the culmination of eight years of work and marked a significant step towards actualising the refinery project.
He explained that the CDU took more than three years to build in South Korea before being transported to Nigeria on a chartered vessel.
Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, King Bubaraye Dakolo, former Chief Operating Officer, Refinery and Petrochemical of the NNPC, Mr. Mustapha Yakubu, among other dignitaries also delivered goodwill messages at the event.
