The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has appealed to the people of Otuabagi community in Ogbia Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa State to allow the resumption of construction work at the Oloibiri Oil Museum and Research Centre.
Lokpobiri made the appeal over the weekend during a meeting in Yenagoa with the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri Snr, the Chairman of the Otuabagi Chiefs Council, and other stakeholders, who had sought his intervention in the ongoing dispute that led to the site’s closure.
He urged the community to prioritise development over grievances, stressing that Oloibiri, the birthplace of Nigeria’s first commercial oil discovery, had suffered decades of neglect and should not miss this opportunity for renewal.
"Two wrongs don't make a right," the Minister said.
Lokpobiri assured that he would return to Abuja to address the outstanding issues and schedule a visit to mediate and resolve all lingering concerns, while encouraging the local leaders to engage their people and reopen the site in the interest of long-term benefits.
The site was earlier shut down following disagreements involving the community, construction firm Julius Berger, and the state's steering committee, a development that inspired the IYC President to seek federal intervention.
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