Kogi Gas Plant: "Sen Natasha Misleading Public", Says Lawmaker »

Fresh facts have emerged regarding the controversy surrounding the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Presidential Gas Initiative’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) projects in Kogi State. The dispute stems from claims that a senator from the state allegedly took credit for influencing the project’s approval.

Social media has been inundated with posts, particularly from supporters of a former Deputy Senate President, criticizing Delta State’s three All Progressives Congress (APC) senators for failing to challenge what they describe as the diversion of projects originally intended for Delta State to Kogi State. Some commentators have dismissed these claims as a politically motivated media campaign aimed at discrediting the APC senators.

However, Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ughelli North/South and Udu Federal Constituency, has set the record straight on the CNG projects. He dismissed the misinformation, emphasizing that the gas plant in Kogi State was not the result of any senator’s political influence but rather an economic decision driven by existing gas infrastructure.

According to Waive, gas-related projects fall under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Gas, not the Local Content Committee, as some have falsely claimed. He further clarified that the ongoing pipeline project transporting gas from the Niger Delta to Niger Republic was initiated under former President Muhammadu Buhari, not the current administration.

“Major infrastructure projects of this scale require extensive planning and cannot be attributed to the actions of a single administration,” he stated.

Waive also noted that lawmakers from the Niger Delta in the ninth National Assembly did not oppose the pipeline construction during Buhari’s tenure.

“If this project was truly questionable, why did Niger Delta representatives remain silent at the time?” he asked, suggesting that the controversy has been fueled by political interests rather than genuine concerns.

He reaffirmed that the decision to establish five CNG plants in Kogi State was based on economic viability, given the region’s existing gas pipeline infrastructure, which facilitates distribution to the northern parts of the country.

However, he criticized the Kogi senator for allegedly attempting to take undue credit for the project, thereby misleading the public.