Dafinone: I’ll Keep Fighting To Retain ₦100bn Gas Park At Sanubi-Orogun

Senator Ede Dafinone, representing Delta Central Senatorial District, has reaffirmed his determination to ensure that the proposed ₦100 billion Industrial Gas Park remains at Sanubi-Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, saying he will continue engaging relevant authorities to resolve the challenges threatening the project.

Dafinone stated this during an interview with Kpoko FM, where he explained that his immediate priority was to preserve the investment at the location where government had already acquired and cleared land for the project.

“I have no intention of moving an Urhobo project to another part of the country,” the senator said, stressing that the project was brought to Urhobo land through the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and should be pursued for the benefit of the people.

According to him, the fact that the government had already acquired and cleared the land made it necessary for stakeholders to intensify efforts to overcome the technical and other difficulties delaying the commencement of the project.

“The government has already acquired and cleared the land, so I am continuing to lobby for the project to move forward,” he said.

Dafinone, who is Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, disclosed that he had previously raised concerns about the slow progress of the project with the NCDMB while carrying out his legislative responsibilities.

He noted that several projects approved around the same period had progressed significantly, while the Sanubi-Orogun project was still largely at the land-clearing stage.

“Other projects that were approved around the same period are already approaching completion, while ours is still largely at the land-clearing stage,” he said.

The senator maintained that the significance of the proposed Industrial Gas Park went beyond the physical location of the facility, arguing that an investment of such magnitude should translate into tangible economic opportunities for the people of Delta Central and the wider Urhobo Nation.

He said the project should be capable of generating employment, stimulating businesses, attracting further investment and supporting industrial development in the region.

“The objective is not simply to have a project for the sake of having one. We want an industrial project that will create employment, stimulate businesses and contribute to the development of the region,” Dafinone stated.

The senator, however, acknowledged that there were technical considerations surrounding the proposed site which could not simply be ignored. He said efforts were therefore being made to determine whether the challenges could be resolved sufficiently to allow the project to proceed at Sanubi-Orogun.

Dafinone indicated that if the technical requirements ultimately proved impossible to satisfy at the present location, alternative sites within Delta Central could be considered. He mentioned Sapele, Okwagbe and Oghara as possible alternatives, but presented them as contingency options rather than his preferred choice.

His comments come amid continuing public discussion over the future of the proposed Industrial Gas Park, with questions surrounding its location, technical requirements and the economic benefits expected from the investment. Recent reports have also quoted Dafinone as insisting that any decision on the project should protect the economic interests of the Urhobo people.

For now, Dafinone said his focus remains on finding a way to keep the ₦100 billion investment at Sanubi-Orogun, while engaging the NCDMB and other relevant authorities on the outstanding challenges.

The senator’s position effectively places the immediate emphasis on resolving the technical difficulties at the site rather than abandoning the project, particularly given that government land acquisition and clearing have already taken place.

He said the ultimate objective should be to ensure that the proposed investment does not remain on paper but progresses into a functioning industrial project capable of delivering jobs, business opportunities and broader economic activity to the people of Delta Central and the Urhobo Nation.