All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart in Niger State, Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, on Saturday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to make the Bida Basin one of his legacy projects by ensuring that it is drilled before he leaves office in 2023.
While speaking to our correspondent, the former Publicity Secretary of the APC in Niger state urged President Buhari to look at Niger State with the eye of mercy.
It would be recalled that President Buhari about three weeks ago conducted the ground-breaking ceremony of the Kolmani Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 809 and 810 at the Kolmani field site located in Bauchi and Gombe states which was discovered only two years ago.
Also, former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu had in October, 2011 inaugurated a committee on the development of the Bida Basin to ascertain the availability of oil deposit in the basin.
However, in 2017, crude oil deposits were discovered in Niger State by the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Research Centre, Lapai which said it has a technology that helps crude oil and mineral resources discovery fast.
According to Vatsa, “we have abundance of oil in Bida Basin, President Buhari should drill the Lower Niger River Basin. He should do it for us as a sort of compensation for the Baro Port that has failed to function.
“Just as he did for Bauchi and Gombe states, he should look at us with the eyes of mercy. If he does it for us as a parting gift for voting en masse for him in 2015 and 2019, I am confident that he would have given us (the APC) mouth to talk prior to the next elections.”
The former Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism further urged President Buhari to prove that he belongs to everybody and belongs to nobody. “Niger State has not benefited as much as other states considering our massive support for Buhari”, he added.
