The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, has called on the governors of the South-South to develop the region in order to gain economic independence from the centre.
The minister made the call on Friday at Emeyal, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, during the ground-breaking ceremony of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Park being developed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board.
Kachikwu said there is no bundle of states in the country that has the opportunity and resource base and the human resource to be able to develop and create a synergy of independence similar to what Lagos is doing for Lagos State more than “these block of states”.
The minister, who said the time for speech making was over, challenged Governor Seriake Dickson to take the bull by the horns and rally round other governors to move the region forward.
He said the Federal Government realised that before 2016, investments in the oil and gas sector had issues and that oil companies were basically operating reckless production.
He, however, said that there is now a massive investment in the oil sector, noting that with those investments will come jobs, with those jobs will come peace and with that peace will come development.
Kachikwu said, “So, a lot is going on in the oil sector but a lot still has to happen. Major policy changes are in the works, major regulatory changes are in the works, major emphasis on rural areas are in the works.
“But I think no change can be as important as the change that I hopefully anticipate should rock this nation, which is the change where the committee of South-South governors are able to sit down and see how to develop the South-South to the point where they take economic independence from the centre. This means that cross border developments, roads, specialisation areas in health, finance, education and the rest can be done.”
