The Bayelsa State government has announced a strategic partnership with Dangote Industries. Governor Douye Diri led a high-level delegation, including Amb. Godknows Igali and former Niger Delta Development Commission Managing Director Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, to tour the Dangote Refinery, Petrochemical Plant, and Port in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
The delegation was warmly received by Dangote Group President Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Dangote Industries Limited Vice President for Oil and Gas, Mr. Edwin Devakumar. The visit, which lasted over four hours, included a comprehensive tour of the refinery, fertiliser and urea production plant, various loading bays, the port, and production control rooms.
Governor Diri’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, noted that the visit followed an earlier meeting with Aliko Dangote in Nassau, The Bahamas, during the AFREXIM Bank annual meeting in June. The partnership aims to drive economic growth and development in Bayelsa State.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa Elders Council has called on the state government to invest heavily in agricultural development and technical education to steer the state’s economy towards self-sufficiency. The council emphasized that government involvement in crop, fish, and livestock production is essential to counter the looming food crisis, as peasant farming is insufficient to meet the population’s needs.
At its third-quarter meeting at the Niger Delta Wetlands Centre in Yenagoa, Council Chairman Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Rtd) expressed concern over rising food prices due to the neglect of agriculture and reliance on external food supplies. He urged youths to engage in agriculture to meet their financial and nutritional needs.
In response, Governor Diri stated that his administration’s second term would prioritize agriculture to combat high food prices and expand the state’s revenue base. Represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Governor promised a multi-dimensional approach to addressing food and fish production challenges. He highlighted the establishment of the Ministry of Blue Economy as evidence of the government’s commitment to harnessing maritime resources for job and wealth creation.
Governor Diri also expressed confidence in the success of vocational education initiatives, aimed at promoting self-reliance among Bayelsa’s youth, through the establishment of vocational schools across the state.
