Buhari performs groundbreaking ceremony of Oloibiri Museum Centre
........Says Nigeria has joined World oil producing countries to preserve origins of oil
Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa
President Muhammadu Buhari says with the historic ground breaking ceremony of the Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre, Nigeria has aligned itself with other oil-producing nations to establish an oil and gas museum.
This, he said, would confer more recognition on Nigeria and also preserve the heritage and the origin of oil in the country.
President Buhari, represented by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, spoke at the ground-breaking ceremonies of the Oloibiri museum and research center (OMRC) at the ancient Oloibiri oil field in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State
and the NCDMB Conference Hotel Project, located adjacent to the Nigeria Content Tower, Yenagoa, on Tuesday.
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Chief Sylva noted that the groundbreaking of the two landmark projects had confirmed the developmental focus and determination of the Federal Government and the oil and gas industry on Bayelsa State, the birth place of oil and gas productions in Nigeria.
Considering the magnitude of the project scope, he said that the Federal Government decided to leverage on the benefits of public-private partnership, inter-agency collaboration and inter-governmental alignment, to optimise resource utilisation and accelerate project delivery.
He disclosed that the project would be partnered by four project promoters namely Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Shell Petroleum Development (SPDC), and the Bayelsa State Government.
In the words of Chief Sylva, “By starting work on the Oloibiri Museum and Research Center (OMRC), we have taken a giant step towards correcting a historical oversight by erecting a befitting monument at the exact ground of Oloibiri Oilfield where commercial quantities of oil were first discovered in Nigeria and production began in 1957.
“With this event, Nigeria has aligned itself with global practice where oil-producing nations establish an oil and gas museum to confer recognition and preserve the heritage and the origin of oil.”
The Minister lamented that the Oloibiri legacy project had been on the drawing board for over three decades without resolute commitment and action by previous administrations to bring it to reality, the project has shown President Buhari’s resolve to ensure lasting legacies in key areas of the nation’s economy.
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“This Oloibiri project is another clear example where our dear President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, displayed his unwavering resolve to leave lasting legacies in key sectors of the Nigerian economy.”
According to him, President Buhari approved the project in June 2020, though the country was then experiencing COVID-19 and severe cash crunch, and awarded the contract to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc to undertake the Engineering, Procurement & Construction contract for the Oloibiri Museum project with a completion period of 30 months two weeks ago in a Federal Executive Council meeting he chaired .
He also said that award of the Engineering, Procurement & Construction contract for the NCDMB Conference Hotel Project to Megastar Technical and Construction Company Limited on the 6th of July 2022 was also approved by Mr. President and the Federal Executive Council.
The Minister also recalled that President Buhari has enabled several other landmark projects for the oil and gas industry in Bayelsa State and across the country including the construction, completion and commissioning of the 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower in Yenegoa within five years.
“Mr. President supported the project wholeheartedly even though it was conceived before his administration came onboard.”
According to him, the iconic projects and several roads and other infrastructural interventions are projects that Bayelsa State and the entire Niger Delta region would remain eternally grateful to the President.
“Through these projects, Bayelsa State has finally claimed its pride of place as the birthplace of the oil and gas activities in our country” he added .
The content of the Oloibiri Project, according to the Minister, consists of the construction of a Museum where historic developments, data, equipment and tools used in the Nigerian oil and gas industry would be stored for posterity.
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The scope, he said, also included the construction of a Research Center where prototypes can be tested and validated in fulfillment of the requirement for approval of new technologies.
“This will close a major gap in our quest for homegrown Exploration and Production technology”, he added .
Other benefits of the OMRC project include the retention of historical artifacts of our oil and gas journey over the decades, dissemination of knowledge, creation of an attractive destination for tourists, restoration of the image of the Oloibiri community, provision of a conducive environment for Research & Innovation and job creation.
“The blend of the financial and technical resources and expertise of these astute entities will guarantee the delivery of a world class Museum and Research Center that can compete or even surpass similar projects anywhere in the world”
While emphasising the role of the Bayelsa State Government to the successful execution of the project, he lauded Governor Douye Diri for his Administration’s support for the project so far.
Chief Sylva continued, “The project execution plan, the construction is expected to be executed within 30 months from today and I earnestly look forward to monitoring the progress and receiving progress reports in the months ahead”, he said .
