Keeping with his avowed commitment to maintaining a timeous conflict resolution between oil companies and host communities, impactful revenue generation, improved youth sensitization and local content, the Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Hon. (Chief), Peter Okagbare Uviejitobor (JP), has tagged his ministry’s proposed budget as budget of hope and actualization.
The former lawmaker who represented Udu State Constituency in the 7th Assembly made the disclosure on Monday October 21, 2024, shortly after his ministry defended its budget at the ongoing budget defense by the ministry of Economic Planning in Asaba, the State capital.
He revealed that the Ministry’s budget though still in process till the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori gives his final assent, is pegged at N1.1 billion.
Hear him: “The budget defense today, is satisfactory. It’s a budget of hope for my ministry. Our envelope was trimmed down but at the presentation, it was adjusted up a bit.
“I know with what is giving us and in line with all the items we spoke about, we are sure, there will be increase in revenue generation, improvement in youth sensitization and local content”.
Recall that during the build up to the 2023 governorship election, Oborevwori, told Deltans that he is a man with “excessive local content”.
Speaking further, he said: “We are sure that by the coming year when this budget is approved, the ministry would improve economically”.
He disclosed that the proposed budget is centered on revenue budget proposal, none regular overhead proposal among others.
He said the capital budget which was placed at N500 million was jacked up to N600 million while other areas were looked into.
He reiterated that the budget remains a budget of hope and actualization, disclosing that the anchoring ministry made adjustment in order for all that were budgeted for, to be implemented come 2025.
“The proposed budget for the ministry of Oil and Gas, is N1.1 billion”, stressing that the core vision of the ministry to mediate between the oil industry and the communities would be intensified.
He noted that although, since he assumed office, he and his management staff have done that selflessly with the successful settlement of series of cases with oil companies and communities.
“In many cases where we carried out mediation, we conclude with success”.
He however, noted that since the process of the budget defence was still on, figures could be altered, “figures can still be altered. It can be increased or decreased”.
He expressed optimism that as a former lawmaker now at the State Executive Council, the ministry’s budget would not be reduced being one of them and the perfection in the budget.
