L-R: HRM Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, Alfred Diete-Spiff; Gov. Sarike Dickson of Bayelsa State; The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo; Min. of State Petroleum Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and Mr Ben Okoye, Executive Vice-Chairman of Brass Fertiliser Company at the State House, Abuja. 6th June 2017.

The Federal Government was promoting a new way of thinking and engagement that would secure the development of the Niger Delta and the entire country, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said.

He made this known on Tuesday in a meeting with a delegation from Bayelsa, led by Gov. Seriake Dickson.

He told the delegation, which included executives of the 3.6 billion dollar Brass Fertilizer and Petro-Chemical Company expected to come on stream soon, that the new approach, called the New Vision, involved active and effective collaboration between government, the private sector and communities.

Osinbajo explained that “this approach will ensure that we finish whatever we start.”

He pointed to effective collaboration with the private sector and cited the NLNG as one instance of such effective collaborations.

He said the new approach was adopted “because only 12 per cent completion rate was recorded in many projects undertaken by Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in the past years, with the rest abandoned.

“The Buhari administration is committed to finishing whatever we start.”

In his comments, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, described the idea of the Brass Fertilizer and Petro-Chemical firm as “a game changer that we need to encourage.’’

The minister added that “such ideas have the potential to change the economic model in the Niger Delta.”

The acting President also received a delegation from Seed Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (SEEDAN), led by its President, Mr Richard Olafare, and the Director-General of the National Agricultural Seed Council, Dr P.O.Ojo.

He assured the delegation that the Federal Government would do much more in the area of agriculture, stressing that fertilizer and seed inputs were vital for agricultural revolution.

He told members of the association that “your visit and contributions are very important to us.

“The President has said we must grow what we eat; we must be able to grow everything we eat.

(NAN)