A south-south based non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Niger Delta Media Activists Group and Excellent Leadership Foundation (NDMAGELF), has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to adopt the vision of Timipre Sylva, Nigeria’s former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
The organisation said the ex-minister’s vision aimed to utilise Nigeria’s abundant gas resources to foster economic development, industrialisation, and renewable energy objectives.
The group’s appeal coincided with Chief Timipre Sylva’s 61st birthday on July 7, 2025, as expressed in a statement on Sunday by the National Coordinator of the NGO, Chief Izzi Yakiah.
The statement highlighted Sylva’s pioneering efforts in advocating for a gas-based economy, noting his significant contributions to the socio-economic stability of the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole.
Yakiah praised Sylva for his instrumental role in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and his dedication to President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda.’
He described Sylva as a committed democrat who believes in the vision for a new Nigeria. Additionally, Yakiah acknowledged Sylva’s influence in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his historical significance in the party’s development.
In expressing gratitude towards Sylva, he recognised the Bayelsa State former Governor’s empowerment models and capacity-building initiatives for youths, which were particularly important during the challenges of militancy in the Niger Delta.
“His (Sylva’s) leadership contributed to improved surveillance of oil and gas facilities, resulting in increased daily oil production,” Yakiah stated.
Moreover, the APC chieftain in Bayelsa commended Sylva’s visionary leadership, which he noted had established solid governance structures within the APC in Bayelsa State.
He underscored Sylva’s role as a powerful figure in opposition politics, leveraging his influence for the benefit of the Ijaw people during his tenure as Governor and Minister of Petroleum.
As the NGO celebrates Sylva’s milestone birthday, it also admires his qualities of tolerance and forgiveness amidst political adversities, highlighting his ongoing leadership of the APC in Bayelsa.
Yakiah stated, “In the period of Sylva’s political adversity occasioned by negative emotion and deliberate sabotage of leadership of the Bayelsa APC, the Okpoama-born politician has recorded credible results when he led the party to impressive elections in 2019 general elections that produced Chief David Lyon as Governor-elect, a Senator, two members of House of Representatives.
”The same year, the Bayelsa APC under the leadership of Chief Timipre Sylva scored
118,821 votes for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general elections, a result that turned out to be the highest APC got across the South-South and the South-East states in Nigeria.”
