By Matthias Ogbagah

DELTA – SATISFIED with the recent signing of FID for the US$5 billion (Five billion dollars) Bonga North Deep Offshore Oil Deal, the socio-cultural body of the south-south region, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the management of SHELL Petroleum Company for bringing this landmark deal to a conclusion after many years of reversals.

Speaking to newsmen at the PANDEF Liaison Office in Maitama, Abuja, the National Chairman of PANDEF, Ambassador Godknows Igali, the National Chairman commended the diligence of the technical teams on both sides led by the Honourable Minister of Petroleum, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri for bringing this ground-breaking project to reality noting.

PANDEF in a press release signed by its national spokesman, Chief (Sir) Obiuwevbi Ominimini, noted with satisfaction adding that the initiative will increase the quantum of oil production, and economic development and create jobs for the teeming youths of Nigeria, especially the youths of the Niger Delta, and fundamentally increase Nigeria’s energy security.

PANDEF pledged its unalloyed support of the people of the Niger Delta to all the initiatives of the federal government towards ramping up the volume of oil production in Nigeria in the shortest time possible as this will be an overall enabler for the country’s economic development and create jobs for the teeming youths of Nigeria, especially those of the Niger Delta.

The PANDEF leader, however, cautioned that the new oil field must be operated with the highest level of environmental integrity and sustainability, and warned that SHELL must take all measures to ensure that no repeat of environmental disaster occurred in Bonga South in December 2011that polluted several coastal communities of the Niger Delta.

Igali, woo both the federal government and the oil operating company (SHELL) to pay more attention to the region to ensure that the people and coastal communities of the Niger Delta which have suffered neglect for sixty-eight years of unending oil production despite huge contributions to the national economy this time benefit optimally from this new investment, calling for the setting up of new logistics bases in the area.
He restated that PANDEF will continue to work with the Federal Government, the political leaders of the area, and the community leaders to ensure that the right conducive environment exists for the future growth of the oil and gas industry to deliver robustly to the national economy and the South-South.