IYC Spits Fire As NNPC Edges Out Bayelsa From NNPC Road Maintenance Plan 

The Central zone of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has condemned the exclusion Bayelsa State in the recent approved 21 roads construction and rehabilitation by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the six geopolitical zones in the county.

BIGPENNGR reports the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the reconstruction of 21 federal roads across the six geopolitical zones of the country by the NNPC

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Central Zone of the IYC, Comrade Clever Inodu, faulted the NNPC for channeling all the available resources for the Road Infrastructure Development on petroleum energy distribution alone without recourse to connecting major petroleum activity destinations to the rest of the country. 

He said total neglect of Bayelsa State in its recent move is an indication that the state has never been on the framework of the corporation even though it is amongst states in the top chart of petroleum activities in the country.

He said, “The most anticipated Nembe-Brass road has been on the Federal Government drawing board since 1973 but has gotten little or no attention despite its Socio-Economic viability.”

Expatiating the importance of the road, he explained that when completed it will provide access to the Brass fertilizer/petrochemical project, the Atlantic modular refinery Okpoma and the BPPT Brass petroleum product terminal amongst others.

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Inodu who doubles as Chairman of the Ijaw Youth Council Zonal and Chapter Chairmen forum expressed total displeasure and rejects this trend in its entirety pointing out that the move is a deliberate marginalization of Bayelsa State by the NNPC.

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Hon. Minister of petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, all National assembly members from Bayelsa State and the  management of the Cooperation to reconsider the Council’s position on the Nembe-Brass road and every other federal road in the state.

 The Chairman of the zone also encouraged companies in the area to take advantage of the Executive Order No. 007 of 2019 signed into law by Mr President and carry out Road Infrastructure Development in the State.