Amaechi not building refinery for Odili -Ndoni community
• Monday, Oct 27, 2008

The Ndoni community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State has reacted over a publication in a local weekly tabloid insinuating that the Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi was building a refinery for the former governor of the state, Dr. Peter Odili.

Ndoni community stated that the publication with the headline, “Amaechi Builds Refinery for Odili,” was not only misleading but orchestrated mischievously to whip up negative political sentiments in Rivers State.

According to the writer, one Mr Jose Pere, the executive governor of the state signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the refinery at Ndoni, the country home of Dr. Peter Odili, to “pacify his raging political godfather.”

But the Ndoni community said in a statement that it “considers this warred line of thought as very unfortunate and emerging from an ignorant mind, who otherwise, should have been well informed on the policies and operations of government.

“Not only did he not take cognisance of the fact that the refinery belongs to the Rivers State Government and the good people of Rivers State, and therefore, not personalised to any individual, but that the state government does not site its developmental projects based on sentiments of any sort”, the community noted.

According to the community, the writer also ignored the fact that priority projects of this nature that directly touch the heartbeat of the state are never executed either to pacify individuals or seek favour from a group of people, but strategically positioned, backed up with feasibility study and professional advice.

“Unless the writer is not aware of the administrative savvy of Chibuike Amaechi’s government or his sponsors deliberately chose to undermine the genuine transparent effort to transform the state through sustainable developmental projects. For his information, the idea for the new Rivers State refinery sited at Ndoni was not mooted the day the governor signed the MoU. It had been on and the site legitimately acquired long before now”, the statement said.

“It should also interest Mr Jose Pere to know that the government of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, rooted on sustainable development policy, intends to effectively execute rather than abandon any project worth the while whether inherited or initiated by his administration.

“Let him also be informed that Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni (ONELGA) where the refinery is sited had the enviable record of hosting the highest oil wells in the state over the years and that such vital project is situated in a place like Ndoni should therefore not be personalized”, the community stressed.

According to the community, “the people of Ndoni are proud of the peaceful disposition of the community which informed the decision of government to site the refinery there, in addition to its strategic location to other communities and states of the federation.

The Ndoni community, however, regretted that the name of its illustrious son and former governor of the state, Dr. Peter Odili, was mischievously misrepresented by insinuating that he was being pacified because of his substantial shareholding in Shayaz Nigeria Limited, the major sponsors of the project.

“To set the records straight, official representatives of Shayaz Nigeria Limited, have said that Dr. Odili has no interest whatsoever in the firm”, the community added.