Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has stressed the need to fast track the take-off of the Ogidigben Industrial Gas Park as it holds the key to the economic development of Nigeria.
Okowa said this on Monday when members of the Steering Committee of the Ogidigben Industrial Gas Park, led by Sheikh Mohammed Bayorh, visited him in Asaba.
He said that the Gas Park was a litmus test for the development of the gas road map in the country.
“It is my hope that this project starts in earnest because it has been delayed for long; we need to fast track the project as it has been on the drawing board for too long and investors’ confidence is being affected.
“This project holds a lot of prospect for us as a state and for the nation; we are truly ready to have reforms in the gas sector.
“It will aid our economic development, not only in harnessing our gas reserve but also providing jobs for our teeming youths.
“This project is the litmus test for the development of the gas road map in the country,” the governor said.
He assured of the state’s readiness to provide the needed environment to ensure the beginning of the project immediately, to build confidence among the investors.
“The community that has provided us with the land, pledged the state government’s support for the development of the gas policy and road map of the investors,” Okowa said.
Earlier, Bayorh, who doubles as the Executive General Manager, Alpha Grip Management Company, said the committee came to meet with stakeholders in the project to share ideas.
He said that the visit would also avail them opportunity to present their road map on how to start and to deliver the project according to specification.
The General Manager said the project would also create jobs and bring about tangible development in the state and the country as a whole.
He, however, called on all stakeholders to work together to achieve the feat, adding that the company was committed to ensuring that the project became a reality in no distant time. (NAN)
