Foreign and local investors have been urged to leverage on the rich oil and gas resources in Delta state to invest in modular refineries in order to stop the importation of refined petroleum products into the country.Delta State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Prince Emmanuel Amgbaduba, made the call in Asaba on Thursday while playing host to a delegation of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, (PPPRA) which paid him a courtesy call.Amgbaduba said Delta was investment friendly and would continue to provide the needed conducive environment for business to thrive so that investors could have value for their money without fear or molestation.He told the PPPRA team that modular refineries were being developed in different parts of the state, while many proposals had been received for more, pointing out that such proposals were being considered through the Delta State Industrial Development Agency (DIDA) to ensure that standards was not compromised.The Oil and Gas Commissioner thanked the delegation for the visit and assured the officials of the commitment of the Delta state government to reducing the importation of petroleum products through continued support for the agency, especially in the area of conflict resolution.Amgbaduba said the target of the state was to be the export hub of oil and gas in the country, stressing that the state had all that was needed to achieve the goal.The leader of the delegation and Head of the Port Harcourt zone of the PPPRA, Mr. Ikechukwu Eseka, said the visit was to familiarize with the Delta State Government and to seek collaboration with the relevant authorities, especially in resolving land related issues, to quicken the development of oil facilities in the state.Eseka commended the governnent for the progress made in some of the modular refineries under construction, but particularly pleaded for intervention in addressing the issues militating against the Aboh and Abalagada projects, where work had not commenced.
