Bayelsa Monarch seeks to use Oloibiri Oil and Gas festival to promote culture and tourism

King Dumaro Owaba, Obanobha 111 of Ogbia Kingdom in Bayelsa says the communities in his domain were poised to use the Oloibiri festival to showcase its culture and tourism potentials to the outside world.

He said that the festival was targeted at attracting tourists and investors to the historic town where the oil business started in the 1950s and solicited support of the multi-national oil companies in the Niger-Delta to the first Oloibiri oil and gas festival.

The first Oloibiri oil and gas festival is scheduled to hold in Oloibiri community, Ogbia Local Government Area in Bayelsa on Dec. 28, 2017.

Endorsing the hosting of the festival on Sunday in Yenagoa, Owaba said the initiative was a welcome development not only to the people of Oloibiri but Bayelsa, Niger-delta and Nigeria at large.

The King noted that supporting the festival would make it more remarkable and historic.

It would be recalled that the first oil well in Nigeria was drilled and completed in June 1956 in Oloibiri, to signal commercial oil production in Nigeria.

Speaking at the endorsement ceremony at the Monarch’s palace, Mrs Faith Wilkinson, President of Oloibiri Oil and Gas Entrepreneurship Development Initiative explained that oil well, which was discovered on Sunday Jan. 15 1956.

The Oloibiri oilfield was operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) in the area.

Wilkinson, Chairman of the Festival Organising Committee said preparation was on-going to hold the event by Dec. 28.

She said the festival was necessary to bring the first nation’s historic oil community to limelight, noting that Oloibiri was the strongest symbol of Nigeria unity and economy.

“Oloibiri as epicentre of modern Nigeria that has touched many live; this community deserved to be celebrated and revived through the oil and gas festival.

“The importance of the festival is to display the cultural value of the people; we want to attract international and national interest through this unique festival which will serve as a cultural tourism flagship event in West Africa because of its link to oil and gas history.

“The festival intends to enhance the pride of the Ogbia, Bayelsa and Niger-Delta and oild rich community, Oloibiri in general,” Wilkinson said.