I have figures of votes from your people, Buhari says as Olu of Warri demands ports facilities in Eastern corridor

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday told the Olu of Warri that he has the figure of votes he got from Delta State, especially from people of Itsekiri land in the February 23 presidential election.

He stated this when the Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiamen Ikenwoli, visited him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and requested Buhari to open up ports facilities in the Southern and Eastern corridors.

The Olu of Warri, had said that doing that will assist in decongesting the Lagos ports, which has grounded economic activities in Lagos.

He had also at the meeting asked Buhari to revive the $20 billion Ogidigben Gas Revolution Industrial Park, inaugurated by former President Goodluck Jonathan and meant to generate 250,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The Warri monarch explained that efforts made by former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, to attract developers, yielded no results after a consortium pooled over $10 billion for the project.

“If the project and the ports in the southern parts of the country are revived, the issue of unemployment, kidnapping and insecurity will be a thing of the past. The over 2,700 hectares park is designed for fertiliser, methanol, petrochemicals and aluminium plants,” he said.

On the ports in southern parts of the country that have no be in used, he pointed that ports at Warri, Sapele, Burutu, Onitsha and Calabar would also serve as a major source of job creation and social stabilization revived and put in use.

“We are talking of how to create jobs. We all know that issues of youth restiveness, crime and kidnapping were at their minimal levels when these ports were operational,” he added.

The Olu of Warri was accompanied by other traditional rulers from Delta State. He said they visited to congratulate Buhari on his February 23 presidential election victory and as a sign of solidarity with him.

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But the Presidency in a statement by Buhari’s special adviser on media and publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, said the President assured his visitors that his administration would strive to complete on-going projects that would impact positively on the lives of the people.

Responding on the claim by the monarch that Itsekiri people gave the President massive support during the election, Buhari said he appreciated the support.

He added, “I have all the figures of votes I got and I know what Itsekiri people did.”

 

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