Sylvester Idowu in Warri
Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has restated that with the removal of subsidy on petrol, President Bola Tinubu ended “overnight billionaires in the oil and gas sector”.
He noted that some youths with foresight were now taking dvantage of the opportunities created with the elimination of the petrol subsidy to invest and genuinely help build the nation’s economy.
Oshiomhole, who spoke at the weekend in Warri, Delta State, while inaugurating A&E Mega Filling Station owned by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Itsekiri leader, Chief Ayiri Emami, said “Now with the withdrawal of subsidy, you either work, sell and prosper or you don’t work and perish. This is the level playing field President Tinubu has created by the policy”, he said.
Inaugurating the mega fuel facility, Oshiomhole said it would effectively put “an end to a system where having a connection in the oil and gas sector could instantly transform someone into a billionaire, solely through favour, connections, and occasionally political bias.”
The federal lawmaker commended Emami for putting so much investment into the facility which he said would create employment for the teeming youths in Delta State.
Delta State Governor, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by the state Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Vincent Oyibode, was full of praises to the Chairman of A&E Oil and Gas, Emami for boosting the economy of the state with his investment.
Chairman of Warri South Local Government, Dr. Michael Tidi said the establishment of the retail outlet is an indication that the government of Oborevwori is working for businesses to thrive in the state.
On his part, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of A&E Oil and Gas, Emami, assured consumers of getting value for their money, adding that “At A&E, we don’t manipulate our pumps. It’s what you pay for that you get”.
Earlier, Oshiomhole and his entourage, accompanied by Emami, had toured the multibillion-naira A&E tank farm facility located in Ifie community, which the federal lawmaker said “a lot of courage and foresight” went into the establishment in such a swampy area.
“Nigerians have never sat down to ask themselves how come the Lebanese, the Indians are coming in droves to find jobs here. Nigerians are not seeing the opportunities in Nigeria. Let’s not cry; go for opportunities,” Oshiomhole added.
Emani told Oshiomhole that though the petrol subsidy removal is laudable as it makes the business “competitive,” he however appealed to President Tinubu to tackle the “bottlenecks” in the policy.
Noting that Warri business owners are “suffering” due to impediments at the port, which he said, President Tinubu and Governor Oborevwori are aware of, the APC chieftain re-echoed calls for the dredging of the Escravos bar to allow bigger ships passage into Warri port.
He added that it would reduce the cost of the product in the state.
