The leadership of Ijaw Youth Council IYC worldwide, have thrown their weight behind the Federal Government’s policy on modular refinery, saying it will help address the environmental challenges posed by local refineries in the region.
President of IYC worldwide, Eric Omare, stated this in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, while briefing newsmen on the state of the nation as it affects the Niger Delta and the Ijaw nation.
He said: “The reason we, the Niger Delta people, are interested in it is because the concept offers solution to our environmental challenges posed by local refinery with the added advantages of skills acquisition and empowerment towards resolving the conflict and security issues so as to achieve security and sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.
“However, the point must be made that the idea of modular refinery and palliatives is not the ultimate solution to the Niger Delta agitation. The ultimate solution to the Niger Delta agitation lies in addressing the question of resource control and management.”
He appealed to the Federal Government to allow the people of the region to source for investors, noting that they have the capacity as demonstrated by the Gbaramatu example which has pooled enormous resources for the Gbaramatu refinery.
According to him, “Many have approached the IYC to source for investors. This is to avoid the experience of the past. To this end, a committee of people with technical, financial and managerial know how and community background would be assembled to source for investors to fund the operations of modular refineries.”
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