Warri monarch seeks action on abandoned $20b Ogidigben park, ports

The Olu of Warri, Ogiamen Ikenwoli, yesterday sought President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention to facilitate revival of the $20 billion Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park (GRIP).

He made the plea when he led a delegation of traditional rulers from Delta State to the Presidential villa, Abuja, where he reminded the presidency that former President Goodluck Jonathan had inaugurated the $20 billion Grip project to generate no fewer than 250,000 direct and indirect jobs.

He also urged the President Buhari administration to open up port facilities in the Southern and Eastern corridors to help decongest and remove pressure from the Lagos Ports and revive economic activities in the state.

Ikenwoli noted that efforts by former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu to attract developers failed after a consortium pooled over $10 billion for the project.

“If the project and ports in the Southern parts of the country are revived, the issue of unemployment, kidnapping and insecurity will be a thing of the past, as the over 2,700 hectares park was designed for fertilizer, methanol, petrochemicals and aluminum plants.

The Olu of Warri said they visited the Presidential Villa to congratulate Buhari on his election victory and to show solidarity with him.

Speaking on the comatose ports in the Southern parts of the country, the Warri Monarch stated that the Warri, Sapele, Burutu, Onitsha and Calabar ports served as a major source of jobs creation and social stability in the South-South and Southeast regions.

“We are talking of how to create jobs. We all know that issues of youths restiveness, crimes and kidnapping were at their minimal levels when these ports were operational,” he said.

He disclosed that the visit also afforded him the opportunity to share his thoughts with the President on the current security challenges facing the country, adding: “We will continue to assist in our domains to counsel our youths.”