A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Bayelsa State, Izzi Yakiah, has implored the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, to initiate steps that will ensure speedy completion of some projects attracted by a former governor the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Yakiah urged Lokpobiri to adopt further dialogue in resolving issues of abandoned oil and gas projects in Brass Island of the state.

Yakiah, in a statement on Friday, praised President Tinubu for the recent signing of the Gas Sale and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) for the $3.5 billion Brass fertiliser and petrochemical project in Bayelsa State at the instance of Shell Petroleum Development Company and its partners.

The APC chieftain called on the president to effect his administration’s bond performance agreement in the day-to-day running of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, particularly the oil sector headed by Lokpobiri.

While noting that the petroleum minister’s address to stakeholders at a Brass forum recently was critical of Sylva’s achievements as a former governor of Bayelsa, Yakiah rose in defence of the ex-governor, saying Sylva did his best to improve the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

“Sylva ensured the completion of the 17-storey headquarters of the Nigerian Content Development in Yenagoa. Also, the former governor ensured the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act in 2021 and execution of other corporate social responsibility projects in Brass Island, among others,” Yakiah stated.

The APC chieftain faulted the minister’s reported remark that those behind the 2,000BPD Atlantic Modular Refinery diverted US35 million dollars appropriated for the project.

Yakiah, who is also the National Coordinator of Niger Delta Media Activists Group and Excellent Leadership Foundation, pleaded with Lokpobiri to step up efforts towards bringing dividends of democracy to the people of Nigeria.

“Sylva had worked so hard to attract critical oil and gas investments that would ensure value addition to the crude oil, products sufficiency, create job opportunities for young people and curb pipeline vandalism in the area.

“Most of the projects which the minister claimed to have been paid for during the tenure of Sylva as minister were projects conceived and solely relied on counterpart funding to be fully completed,” he added.