Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to realizing the Agge Deep Seaport project located in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Diri made this pledge on Monday when he met with the federal government’s Joint Project Steering Committee and Project Delivery Team for the Agge Deep Seaport at the Government House in Yenagoa. The delegation, led by Prof. Busayo Fakinlede, Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, presented the committee’s report and its recommendations for the smooth initiation of the project.
The Governor acknowledged that the concept for the seaport was initiated by the previous administration, and his government has continued to build on this foundation by engaging in discussions with the former federal government. Diri noted that progress was made when the current administration under President Bola Tinubu established the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, prompting him to visit the Minister in Abuja to push the project forward.
Governor Diri praised President Tinubu for recognizing the importance of the marine economy and for the efforts of the committee and the Nigerian Ports Authority towards the realization of the project.
The Governor further emphasized Bayelsa’s strategic position as a marine state and expressed his administration’s strong commitment to making the project a reality in partnership with the federal government.
His words: “When we came in, one of the projects of the immediate past administration that we reviewed and saw we must run with was the Agge Deep Seaport.
“Under the immediate past federal government, we started the process. Unfortunately, we did not go far with that government.
“What interested us most was that the current president had the foresight in establishing for the first time the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. He also recognised the importance of the neglected marine sector of this country.
“For Bayelsa being a marine state, we saw that a Daniel had come to judgment and we took advantage of this to establish a similar ministry in our state.
“Our administration is irrevocably committed to this project and working with the federal government, we will ensure it becomes a reality.”
In his presentation, Prof. Fakinlede recommended the appointment of a Transaction Adviser who possesses the necessary integrity and knowledge of port systems to bring together the various consortia, financial, technical, and social components of the project. He emphasized that the adviser would play a key role in aligning the state’s efforts with the federal government.
The General Manager for Public-Private Partnerships at the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Nura Abdulkadir, also expressed satisfaction with his involvement in the project since 2015, when former Governor Seriake Dickson first initiated it. He noted that for the project to succeed, it must leverage its comparative advantage in the importation of oil and gas products.
