Some deliberate steps are being taken to assuage Bayelsa people over the loss of the OML 46, otherwise called the Atala Oil Field. Interestingly, Bayelsa lost the oil field when Chief Timipre Sylva was on seat as minister of state for petroleum.
Even though Sylva had tried to defend the revocation of the oil field license, especially when he was campaigning to be elected as governor of the state, the people refused to be swayed. They saw the action as injustice against their common heritage.
But his successor, Senator Lokpobiri, during a visit to the governor, Senator Douye Diri on Tuesday night at the Government House, Yenagoa, lamented the loss of the oil field and said he would do everything within his power to restore the license.
He explained that his visit was to seek collaboration with the state government to address issues concerning Bayelsa and for the state to reap the dividends of democracy.
The minister, an APC member, for the second time congratulated Diri on his re-election and sought the government’s partnership to curb pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft.
He said the menace had resulted in the reduction of revenue from the federation account to oil producing states, adding that Bayelsa had zero derivation for about four months in 2023.
Lokpobiri also expressed concern over the level of pollution caused by illegal bunkering activities, noting that if the trend was not checked, it could be an existential threat, saying “Bayelsa State is more polluted than Ogoni in Rivers State and we are the only people that can put a stop to it. We need to do something to protect our water and land resources.
“It is also important to note that illegal refineries affect the income of our state. The governor can attest to the fact that derivation money has been dwindling. There was zero derivation for months. We are changing our security architecture to one that could be more effective. So, we need to work together to change the narrative.”
Also for the second time in the public, Diri congratulated Lokpobiri on his appointment and appreciated President Bola Tinubu for appointing a worthy son of Bayelsa as minister of state for petroleum resources.
He said: “We want to see the positive impact of your office. We are on a new journey to change the trajectory of your office. That is why l am pained that it was in your time that the office was balkanized. Bayelsa has more gas than oil. So we would have been happier if you were presiding over gas as well.
“We need more exchange of ideas. Today, you have given us hope. You have assured me that Atala oilfield will come back to Bayelsa. I believe that you will right a lot of wrongs done to our people. No Bayelsa man has an oil mining licence and the only one we had was taken away by our own son.”
While urging Lokpobiri to partner with the state government to explore ways of attracting development to the state, Diri bemoaned the situation where the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Company in Bonny, Rivers State, receives 60% of its gas from Bayelsa but the company pays tax to Rivers.
