By
Fatimah Idera
Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday to solicit his intervention in resolving the controversy surrounding the revoked Atala Marginal Oilfield (OML 46) license, owned by the state government.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah quoted the governor saying: “I solicit the President’s intervention to resolve the controversy surrounding the revoked Atala Marginal Oilfield (OML 46) license, which is owned by the state government.”
“We hereby sought the president’s intervention and the support of the Federal Government in addressing some critical infrastructure and developmental issues in the state.”
The state government had acquired the marginal field through the Bayelsa Oil Company Limited in 2003 but in April 2020, a few weeks after he assumed office, the federal government through the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources revoked the license and reallocated it to a private company based on wrong information supplied to the relevant authorities.
Diri was accompanied to the meeting by his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson; former Military Governor of Rivers State and Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, and the Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama, King Bubaraye Dakolo to the Presidential villa.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in his brief response, assured the delegation that he will urgently look into the requests and act on them appropriately.
