Buhari has not allocated any oil bloc – Kachikwu

Minister of State for Petroleum
Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, has said that
President Muhammadu Buhari has not
allocated oil blocs to any individual
since he came into office.
The minister made the clarification on
Monday in Uyo at the South-South
region Town Hall Meeting organised by
the Ministry of Information and
Culture.
The minister, who was responding to
questions by some aggrieved
participants from the region over the
inequitable distribution of oil blocs,
said that the Federal Government
would be fair and just in giving out
such advantages.
“Since we came into office, the
government has not allocated any oil
bloc.
“The president has said that he will
need to correct the mess created by the
past administrations before we begin
to think of giving out such advantages.
“The president has emphasised to us,
the ministers that there should be no
unjustifiable favour and any action we
take we must be able to defend it.
“When the time for the oil bloc
allocation comes, it will follow very
clear due process,’’ he said.
Mr. Kachikwu stressed that he was one
of those who believed that the South-
South people should benefit from oil
blocs because it would be part of
“giving back to the chicken that laid
the eggs”.
He said it would go a long way to empower the
people and make them to engage in genuine oil
deals, rather than being contractors to oil
companies.
The minister, however, reiterated that when
government wants to consider the allocation, it
would be given to those who have skills and the
finance to develop the blocs.
Mr. Kachikwu said that the Federal Government had
finalised the Integrated Power Project with Mobil Oil
Company that would produce 500 megawatts of
power as well as gas pipeline project in Akwa Ibom.
He said the total investment for the project,
including provision of infrastructure in the area of
locations, was seven billion dollar.
The minister promised that the Federal Government
would locate oil depots and modular refineries in
the state through private capital intervention.
In addressing the challenges of militancy in the
region, Mr. Kachikwu said he had reached out to the
Niger Delta Avengers for a truce with the Federal
Government to end destruction to oil installations.
He said the activity of the militants blowing up oil
installations was affecting the economy and
government would use all means possible to end it.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who
was also at the Town Hall Meeting, assured that the
Federal Government would deliver on the
developmental projects it promised Nigerians.
According to him, “it is time to end the blame game
and move forward to concentrate on the delivery of
democracy dividends.’’
He said government would deliver the Calabar to
Lagos coastal rail line project, the Calabar to Port
Harcourt, and Lagos to Kano rail projects to ease
movement of people and goods.
Responding to an allegation from a member of the
audience, Mr. Amaechi said he did not influence the
appointment of the Director-General of Niger Delta
Development Commission, Ibim Seminitari.
He said the insinuation that he lobbied the president
to take the position from an indigene of Akwa Ibom
for Mrs. Seminitari in negation of zoning
arrangement was wrong.
The minister said the president had noted the
zoning arrangement and correction would be made.
Mr. Amaechi also said that government was in the
process of restructuring NIMASA in order to
reposition it to deliver on its statutory mandate.