ABUJA—Former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson has debunked claims that he is in support of the reported revocation of Atala Marginal Oil Field from the Bayelsa State Government.
Dickson, who is Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, in a statement he personally signed and made available to Mangrovepen.ng, said he will “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.
“Long after leaving office, early this year I read the announcement of the Ministry of Petroleum and DPR, canceling some non performing licenses, including Atala Marginal Oil Field.
“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.”
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The former governor also stated that, he encouraged the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, to “support as many of our people interested in the bidding round that had commenced at the time.”
Dickson, who revealed that the governor of Bayelsa state is also “opposed to the revocation” and has taken both administrative and legal steps to retrieve it, also charged Bayelsans to “discard any unnecessary rumor, name calling and propaganda and support the state government to resolve this issue.”
Reports in some quarters had accused the former governor of deliberately allowing the license for the state owned Atala oil field to expire during his time as governor, so he can purchase the oil field using Halkin Global Investment Limited which is allegedly owned by him.
In 2019, a letter by the legal adviser of the Bayelsa Oil Company Limited (BOCL), Barr. Oruah Mark, addressed to the chairman of the board of BOCL, accused Mr. Ebikabowei Dorgu, Managing Director (MD) of BOCL of running the company as a one man show.
According to a news report by Tracknews.ng, “Mark alleged that the then governor collaborated with the then MD to sell 41% out of BOCL’s 51% participating interest in Atala Marginal Oil Field together with its operatorship to Halkin Global Investment Limited (HGIL).
“According to Mark, the MD wanted to coerce him into signing an already prepared document for the sales of the above mentioned percentage of the state owned oil field but he declined amidst threats to sack him back then.”
