Oyo Govt, Shell Sign MoU On Gas Pipeline Infrastructure -

By DAPO FALADE

The government of Oyo State and the Shell Nigeria Gas have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will see the company extend its gas pipeline infrastructure to the state.

Speaking shortly after signing the MoU, Governor Seyi Makinde said the partnership was an indication that the policies and programmes put in place by his administration to expand the economy of the state are beginning to yield positive fruits.

The signing, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, took place at the Exco Chamber of the Governor’s Office, even as the governor said the state is open for business and has always tried to do things in a transparent manner.

He said the project is timely and that it would aid the industrialisation drive embarked upon by the government, adding that the gas pipeline infrastructure project will be run on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis for 15 years.

Shell’s Managing Director, Ed Ubong, who signed for the company, said the development would aid the industrialisation effort of the state, amid the ongoing efforts by the Governor Makinde administration to expand its economy.

Ubong, who said the partnership with Oyo State is an opportunity to further promote gas as a more reliable, cleaner and cost-effective alternative to liquid fuels in the state, added that “gas is the key to boosting industrialisation.”

The governor said: “Oyo State is open for business and we try to transact our business transparently. We allow our decisions and actions to be driven by logic and data.

See also PRESS RELEASE Conduct credible, unbiased LG election, Makinde charges OYSIEC …inaugurates commission *'I won't interfere with your activities' Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, inaugurated the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), charging its members to deliver credible, free and fair local government election in the state. The governor stated that the commission, headed by Mr. Isiaka Olagunju, has been saddled with the responsibility of overseeing an election, which outcome will reflect the will of the people. He charged the commission to, within the shortest possible time, make the will of the people prevail by conducting a local government election that is unbiased. A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor, while speaking at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, venue of the swearing-in, said his administration is ready to conduct the local government election, as it has allocated money for OYSIEC in the 2020 Budget. He promised that his administration would not interfere with the activities of the commission. He said: "I want to thank the House of Assembly for confirming you in a timely manner. I hope that you will also imbibe the sense of urgency and conduct credible local government election in Oyo State within the shortest possible time. “We knew this would come and we already allocated money in the Oyo State Budget for this year to conduct the election. Within the shortest possible time, please give us elected officials at the local government level that are known to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria." Governor Makinde, who said he has not yet indicated whether he will be running for another term in 2023 or not, as it is too early to be thinking of that for now, appealed to the opposition in the state not to overheat the polity. He urged politicians not to see elections as war or a do-or-die affair, but allow the will of people to prevail. "Some parties said they want to unseat me in 2023. It is okay, but I have not indicated the interest to run in 2023, as it is still too early. I may or may not. I have a second address and that is what we want to encourage in our space. “This board will have free hand. If they want to unseat me, it's fine; but they should contest and win many councillorship seats as much as possible so that we can know they are really serious. I will encourage them and others to contest in 2023. "Who knows who is going to be alive in the next hour? We are only sure of this moment. So, they should calm down. Elections should never be war or a do-or-die affair. Election in a democracy should be about the will of the people.” He added that members of the board are men and women of integrity with track records, admonishing them to do the work that will make people of the state proud of them. "I believe that the mandate of this board is to conduct an inclusive election. So, gone are the days when the governor of the state will manipulate matter so that some political parties will not field candidates. We are not here to play games. "So, I am saying to this board that the will of the people must remain sacrosanct. We have sent your names to the House of Assembly. We believe you are men and women of integrity. I have met one or two of you personally. It is not about the political party but the interest of the state and I believe the state will be proud of you,” he said. Speaking on behalf of the board members shortly after the swearing-in, the chairman, Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Olagunju, assured the people of the state that the board will conduct a credible and transparent local government election. He called on the people to have confidence and trust in the commission, adding that they will not be biased towards any political party and that the will of the people will prevail. Olagunju said: "The essence of inaugurating the board is to organise and manage local government election; that is our mandate and we have to follow it. "We were just inaugurated today. We need to go back to the office, see what is happening before we can talk about when to hold the election. It is possible this year but everything depends on the circumstances that we find ourselves when we get to the office. "When His Excellency was inaugurating the commission, he gave us the mandate that we must ensure that the will of the people prevail and that it is sacrosanct. So, we want to assure the people of Oyo State that we will conduct a transparent, credible and acceptable election. "I can also assure that people will have confidence and trust in the commission. It will be our joy that all political parties will participate in the election process. The governor has also said that we should not favour any party, because he is not in support of impartiality." The Board members include: Comrade Adeniji Babatunde, Alhaja Ganiyat Saka, Mr. Emmanuel Olanrewaju, Chief Kunmi Agboola, Mr. Aderemi Ayoade, Mr. Sunday Falana and Mr. Adeojo Elias. The swearing-in was attended by the Deputy Governor, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan; Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun; Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka; Head of Service, Mrs. Ololade Agboola and other cabinet members, as well as chieftains of the PDP in the state, led by the chairman, Alhaji Kunmi Mustapha. Signed: Taiwo Adisa Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde September 3, 2020.

“So, we know for a fact that Shell Nigeria Gas coming here to extend the gas infrastructure to Oyo State is a decision that should have been taken a long time ago. I personally participated in the West Africa Gas Pipeline Project and, if it is good for Ghana, it should be better for Oyo State.

“Of course, this is a challenging period for us as a country and also for Oyo State, as the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much around. We are also faced with an economic meltdown.

“Is this a period to undertake a big project? I will say yes, because the pandemic is going to go away and there will be post COVID-19 activities. I think the timing is appropriate and I thank the management of Shell Nigerian Gas for being bullish about the economic potential of Oyo State.”

He added that the project would fast-track ongoing efforts of the state government to industrialise and expand the economy.

“Most of our industries generate power using diesel. So, we believe if we convert them to gas, Oyo State would have become part of the states that are helping the country to monetise its gas resources.

“We have what will make it possible here. We have the Independent Power Plant, IPP, which we are already looking at. If we have gas here, things will just flow seamlessly.

“People used to think that Oyo State is too far away from the centre of industrialisation in Nigeria, talking about Lagos. But things are rapid. We have the rail line. We also have an airport in Ibadan that we are trying to upgrade and the Lagos-Ibadan Express road construction, which is ongoing. Though it is not finished yet, it is better than what it used to be.

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“So, all of these coming together mean that Oyo State can take on a whole lot of activities, be it industrial or others and we can assist Lagos and Ogun states.

“I am glad that SNG is willing to be our partner on this journey. I have sat down with a former governor of this state. They have had this project in the pipeline for quite a while. The state was going to set aside funds to execute the project before now but it did not see the light of the day because something funny happened.

“Now, we are being creative in project delivery structure. So, what we are looking at now is to build, own, operate and transfer. I am sure SNG will look for the money to build the gas infrastructure. SNG will own and operate it for 15 years and it will later be transferred to Oyo State.

“Truth is, we have to be creative if, as a government, we don’t have the resources, yet we have to bring development and industrialisation to our state.

“We are glad that SNG has confidence in us and we will do everything, within the spirit of the MoU that has just been signed, to deliver on our own part,” he said.

In his speech, the SNG MD promised that the company will carry the state government along in terms of employment and skill development.

He said the project will create employment for the citizenry, create more means of livelihood and also increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state as a result of industrialisation.

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“I am proud that SNG is here. The vision of the governor is to see how we can rapidly industrialise the state and with a clear vision and support, we will get that done. We will do all we need to do to ensure we can realise the terms of this MoU,” he added.

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Oyo Govt, Shell Sign MoU On Gas Pipeline Infrastructure

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