Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), has credited Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for facilitating his appointment.

Lokpobiri made this revelation on Saturday at an event organized in honor of Wike by the Ijaw Peoples Congress (IPC) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

“It is important to tell you my brothers and sisters that me that is standing before you today as the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources was also made possible by Nyesom Wike,” Lokpobiri said.

He added, “You also heard the account of the MD of the NDDC who said that the Minister of the FCT played a direct role in his appointment.

“My own case could have been a more direct role. Some of you may not know. It all started in Wike’s house in Port Harcourt and it all got concluded in his house in Abuja.”

Lokpobiri continued, “My second journey of becoming a Minister started at the house of the Minister in Port Harcourt and it was concluded in his house in Abuja. It is important for me to complete this history.

“Because when I was looking at the welcome address, our names were not included among those who have benefitted from his benevolence. I thought that my name, Heineken Lokpobiri, would have been included amongst those that he has helped.

“But since my name is not included, I have to complete it. I want you Ijaw people to know that we have a brother, we have a friend.

“It is always better to have a good friend than to have a bad brother. Of what use is a bad brother? It is of no use. But if you have a good friend in the case of the FCT Minister, you are already blessed.”

Lokpobiri expressed gratitude to Wike, saying, “Your Excellency, the FCT Minister, let me on behalf of the Ijaw people all over the world, express our gratitude to you for your show of love to Ijaw people.

“We Ijaw people are very grateful people. If you do us good, we will not pay you back with evil. So, we will always be grateful to you for what you have done for our Ijaw people. We are looking forward to you to do more for our Ijaw people.”

Prior to his current appointment, Lokpobiri served as Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development from 2015 to 2019 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He was appointed Minister of State for Petroleum Resources by President Bola Tinubu in August 2023, concurrently with Wike’s appointment as FCT Minister.

The federal government has handed over 64 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to representatives of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

The buses were presented to the unions on Sunday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 64th independence anniversary.

Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, led the government delegation to the handover ceremony.

The delegation included Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, Abubakar Bagudu, minister of budget and economic planning, and Ayodele Olawande, minister of state for youth development.

Speaking at the event, Edun said when deployed for commuter service, the buses would significantly reduce transportation costs in the country, bringing hope for a more affordable and efficient public transport system.

He described the distribution of the buses as fulfilling President Bola Tinubu’s promise to provide affordable and efficient transportation under the “Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (PCNGi)” to support Nigerians after the removal of fuel subsidies.

He said the initiative is aimed at “alleviating the burden on the poor and vulnerable” and supporting macroeconomic reforms that would position the country on the path to economic stability.

The minister further said the symbolic handover of 64 buses on the eve of Nigeria’s National Day marked the beginning of a broader national rollout.

He said the federal government planned to distribute “over 500 CNG buses and 100 electric vehicles” in the first instance.

“The CNG initiative aligned with Nigeria’s commitment to cleaner energy while leveraging its energy resources for industrialisation,” he said.

“Today marks another critical milestone in the policies of President Tinubu. It is a transition to cleaner fuel. The emphasis is on mass transit.”

Edun said the federal government placed emphasis on intervening on the side of workers to ensure cheaper transport to enable them to cope with rising prices.

According to Edun, the CNG initiative will “significantly impact inflation positively.”

“We’ve had an initial spike in inflation, now it has peaked, and it is coming down,” he added.

“Mr President and the whole team are determined to ensure that we keep inflation coming down, and this is one of the major ways.”

The minister also said the fuel cost for CNG-powered vehicles was about “one-third of the fuel for petrol-powered vehicles.”

According to Edun, motorists can now “pay as low as N15,000 to fill a tank instead of N50,000 or more.”

“Today, it is CNG. Tomorrow, it will be helping farmers to cope with the remainder of the wet season planting and then the dry season planting, starting from November, with fertiliser, inputs, seeds, and herbicides,” he said.

“This is all to get prices down and get the economy moving again.”

Michael Oluwagbemi, programme director and chief executive of PCNGi, said since its establishment one year ago, over 125 conversion centres have been established, compared to the initial seven.

He said investment in the sector has exceeded “175 million dollars,” with “12 new mother stations commissioned and 75 more under construction.”

“Technician training is being ramped up, with 40 new technicians trained weekly. Over 34,000 conversion kits have been ordered, with more than half already distributed,” Oluwagbemi said.

He added that vehicle conversions were taking place at “53 centres in eight states,” and that the centres would be expanded to all the 36 states and the FCT.

On their part, Nuhu Toro, secretary-general and chief executive of TUC; Lucky Emonefe, NANS president; and Uche Ekwe, head of the international desk, NLC, commended Tinubu for the gesture.

They called for more CNG buses to be made available to the public.

Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rivers, has stated that no single individual can control the state.

The governor made this statement on Sunday during a thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers.

On Saturday, the elders forum of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers state apologized to Nyesom Wike, the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), over the ongoing rift between him and Fubara.

The PDP elders offered the apology at an event organized by the Ijaw Peoples Congress in honor of the FCT minister.

The party elders requested Wike’s forgiveness, attributing Fubara’s actions to a lack of political skill.

Wike, who also spoke at the event, took credit for making Fubara the governor of Rivers state.

While addressing the congregation at St. Paul Cathedral of the Anglican Communion, Fubara asserted that he doesn’t need anyone to apologize on his behalf.

Fubara remarked that he “cannot give his kidney” to demonstrate loyalty to Wike, further claiming that the FCT minister is “desperate for recognition.”

“Nobody can apologise for me. As a matter of fact, I belong to that school of thought that if I am the only person that needs to stand on that side of right, I will stand there. I don’t need anybody to stand with me. I cannot give my kidney or liver to anybody. I won’t. If that is the only reason for me to be loyal, I will not be,” Fubara said.

“But I will not do the wrong thing. I will stand for the side of the right. I will stand with the truth for Rivers people. That is my commitment today. I will not mortgage my kidney or my liver. So, don’t worry about that because I know that is what they do because they can’t talk.”

He continued, “If it has to take my kidney, then I will honourably just go back to my wife then we will manage ourselves. But I will not give my kidney. What is important is to protect this state. It does not belong to anyone. Rivers state is nobody’s enterprise. So, you have to stand strong.”

“God has a reason for allowing the devil or the evil one to stay long. It is not that he can’t take him or take them away but he gives them time to repent. And when they continue, he (God) will come heavily, and then, they would say, it would have been better we had left when they had time.

“That will be our story in this state. But, you see, anybody that is making noise for recognition, it is a sign that he has lost it. By the special grace of God, I don’t need an introduction. I have the name, and I am the one standing here.”

Wike and Fubara have been at odds over the control of the political structure of the PDP in Rivers state.

The dispute between the two politicians has caused a division within the party and among members of the state house of assembly.