Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson has debunked reports that he has a hand in the revocation of the state-owned Atala Marginal Oil Fields.

 

He described the reports as false, stressing that he will never be involved in such illegality and called on the people of the state not to believe the rumour.

Dickson stated that he had discussed the issue with his successor, Governor Douye Diri, who is also opposed to the revocation of the oil license and has already taken administrative and legal steps to retrieve it.

“This response from me has become necessary to debunk this false propaganda with the revocation of the Atala Marginal Field by the Federal Government and its subsequent reallocation.

“Although Bayelsans and discerning members of the public would know that I am not in a position to do so, I still feel the need to make this statement.

“I hereby use this medium to state without equivocation that I am not and will never be in support of the revocation of Atala Marginal Oil Field from Bayelsa State Government,  its BOCL or any other asset of the state government for that matter

“I am not and will never be in support of its subsequent reallocation by the DPR and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to anybody”

The Bayelsa West Senatorial District Lawmaker explained that long after he left office, he heard of the decision of the Ministry of Petroleum and the Department of Petroleum Resources, canceling some non performing licenses, including the Atala Marginal Oil Field.

 

According to him:

“For the first time in a long while, I put aside political differences and called Chief Timipre Sylva to register my personal displeasure to that and that he should not let that happen to our state while he is minister. In that discussion, I also encouraged him to support as many of our people interested in the bidding round that had commenced at the time.

“I call on Bayelsans to discard any unnecessary rumour, name calling and propaganda and support the state government to resolve this issue which I believe will be done in the interest of the state”.

Continuing, Dickson said, “This I will support wholeheartedly and I call on the Minister of State for Petroleum who is also a Bayelsan to support and work with the state government to resolve this for the benefit of our people, so at the end of the day, Bayelsa State does not lose out”