President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has noted with regret the very
unnecessary controversy and acrimony that has arisen over the postponement
of the ground-breaking ceremony for the Gas Revolution Industrial Park at
Ogidigben in the Warri South West Local Government Area.
President Jonathan is deeply saddened by the very unjust, uncharitable and
unwarranted accusations of nepotism and partisanship that have been made
against him in the wake of the postponement.
The President is particularly dismayed by the unseemly resort to the
abusive denigration of his personal integrity and the whipping up of
divisive ethnic sentiments by parties to the totally needless communal
disagreement that resulted in the decision to reschedule the
ground-breaking event.
It should be apparent to all Nigerians by now that while President
Jonathan may be affiliated to the Ijaw ethnic group by birth, he knows
fully well that he was elected President of all Nigerians and has always
shown by word and deed that he will always uphold the oath he swore on
assumption of office to protect and promote the interests of all citizens
with justice, equity and fairness to all as his guiding principles.
The elders, community leaders and parties to the dispute over the location
and ground-breaking event for the Gas Industrial Revolution Park who have
resorted to threats and accusations of partisanship against the President
in press conferences and paid adverts in newspapers are therefore being
most unfair to him and doing a great disservice to continuing efforts to
forge greater national unity and peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians.
We assure all concerned persons that as the leader of the nation,
President Jonathan is not, and cannot be on the side of any party to the
avoidable dispute over the location and ownership of the site of the Gas
Revolution Industrial Park.
The project itself was conceived for the benefit of all Nigerians, not
just Itsekiris, Ijaws, Urhobos or other ethnic groups in its immediate
In terms of employment opportunities, it is projected that the Gas
Industrial Revolution Park will ultimately create up to three million jobs
for Nigerians in its catchment area and other parts of the country.
All the people of Delta State and Nigerians living in other parts of the
country will also benefit greatly from the project by way of improved
power supply and other ancillary products such as fertilizers,
petrochemicals and more raw materials to boost local industrial
President Jonathan therefore urges all parties to the communal dispute
over the location and ownership of the site of the Gas Industrial
Revolution Park to cooperate fully with ongoing efforts by the Federal
Government and the Delta State government to peacefully resolve all
outstanding issues so that the project can proceed apace for the benefit
of local communities, all Nigerians and investors.
For the avoidance of any doubt whatsoever, the postponement of the
ground-breaking ceremony for the project earlier scheduled for last Friday
was not in furtherance of any anti-Itsekiri agenda.
Rather, it was borne out of the clear need to give all concerned parties
more time to achieve the communal peace, understanding and harmony that
will greatly facilitate the project’s speedy actualization for the benefit
of Itsekiris, Ijaws, Urhobos, Ibos, Isokos and all other Nigerians.
In the greater interest of the nation, President Jonathan expects the
respected elders and leaders of the concerned communities to heed the
pleas of Federal and state government mediators and expeditiously resolve
their differences for the good of all and the progress of the country.
He looks forward to coming to perform the ground-breaking ceremony for the
Gas Industrial Revolution Park very soon in conditions of communal peace,
unity and harmony.