Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has said that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) was determined to check the challenge of oil theft in the country, claiming that the measures taken by the Forum to support the Federal Government was paying off.
According to him, the NGF meeting, Sunday night in Abuja, the Forum had to do something after the shutdown of two major pipelines (Trans-Niger and Nembe) led to the combined loss of about 300,000 barrels per day. “This resulted in the drop of our oil output from 2.5million bpd to 2.1million bpd. But as I speak today, the two pipelines vandalized and damaged have been repaired and re-opened.”
He called for the cooperation and vigilance of all Nigerians to effectively check illegal oil bunkering which has drastically reduced the socio-economic potentials of the country.
Uduaghan however, while fielding questions from newsmen, had promised that his administration in Delta state will continue to support athletes and other youths who are prepared to make a living out of sports.
The Governor, who commended Delta State-born Blessing Okagbare’s feat in clinching the silver medal in the Long Jump event in the on-going International Athletics Championships in Moscow, encouraged her to be focused in the determination to secure a gold medal for Nigeria in the World Championships.
Meanwhile, the vice chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko disclosed that the NGF has resolved to streamline their position on the on-going review of the constitution and come up with a common position for the Governors.
The Governors also considered the current strike action by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and appealed to lecturers to call off the strike in the interest of the nation’s educational development.
