The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to hosting the $5 billion African Energy Bank by September, vowing to work tirelessly to meet the deadline.
Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), assured Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO), that Nigeria would provide a suitable headquarters and fulfill its subscription obligations before the end of September.
Lokpobiri assured that Nigeria would provide a suitable headquarters for the bank and fulfil its subscription obligations before the end of September.”
While thanking Mr Ibrahim for being a good ambassador of Nigeria, he insisted that Nigeria won the hosting right for the bank fair and square.
“We are working day and night to ensure that we meet the September ending deadline. And we believe that we will be able to meet the deadline. Even if we do not meet the deadline, the whole of Africa will see that, look, everything is almost in place. And the bank can start”, he stated.
Lokpobiri emphasized that Nigeria won the hosting rights fair and square and is working diligently to meet the deadline, with the host country agreement, headquarters building, and subscription balance being the key focus areas.
Ibrahim noted that it was important that Nigeria meets obligations and commitments to the host bank to justify the effort in bringing the bank’s headquarters to the country.
He said: “I want to appeal to you and to the government to do everything you can to conform with what you have promised APPO, a promise that informed the decision to give Nigeria the hosting right.
Ibrahim also appealed to the government to fulfill its promises and commitments to justify bringing the bank’s headquarters to Nigeria, emphasizing the importance of meeting obligations to maintain Nigeria’s reputation.
