Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has urged that the state be included as an equity partner in the $3.5 billion Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company project, slated to begin operations on Brass Island later this year.

During a visit by the company’s management team to Government House, Yenagoa, on Tuesday, Governor Diri emphasized that Bayelsa’s participation is crucial to address the marginalization of oil-producing states and local governments under the Petroleum Industry Act.

“The state must not be totally excluded from being partners in progress in this whole process,” Diri said. “When the Petroleum Industry Act was in its formative stage as a bill, we made a presentation through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice after consulting with our people, communities and chiefs. But at the end of the day, our inputs were ignored and thrown overboard as the PIA excluded the oil-producing states and their local governments.”

He criticized the PIA as an anomaly that ignores the Nigerian Constitution, which grants land ownership to state governments, warning that this oversight has already fueled communal conflicts and legal disputes.

“The federal government now interacts directly with the communities, and that is an affront on the Nigerian Constitution. The Constitution says the land belongs to the state government and not the federal government. These anomalies have made the law a time bomb. Because of the PIA, there are intra and inter-communal conflicts and litigations. Even funds realised for development cannot be disbursed to the communities. If anybody thinks the state is not very important, we will then wash off our hands,” the governor said.

Governor Diri, however, expressed confidence that the Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company would operate differently, urging its management to collaborate with the state government to prevent conflicts and promote sustainable development.

He praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for reviving the project, noting that it was first conceptualized in 2009, advanced under a previous administration, but had been stalled for years.

“I must commend President Tinubu for his positive response to our calls for federal presence. The revival of this fertiliser and petrochemical project is long overdue,” he stated.

The Managing Director of Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company, Chief Ben Okoye, stated that the project—planned to produce 10,000 metric tonnes of methanol daily—will finally begin in October, following agreements on gas supply concluded earlier this year under a presidential directive.

Okoye also commended the state government for constructing the Nembe-Brass road, highlighting that it would save the company approximately $100,000 in logistics costs for transporting equipment and materials.