Ministries of Niger Delta Affairs and Petroleum Resources, the Presidential Amnesty Office, international oil and gas companies and the nine states in the Niger Delta region are forming a synergy to ensure a coordinated plan for sustainable peace and development of the Niger Delta region.
This synergy was disclosed by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, at a meeting of stakeholders in the Niger Delta region in Abuja recently.
Usani revealed that the import of the meeting was to have a compact strategy on issues relating to the development of the Niger Delta region, stressing that the quarterly meeting would involve Federal and state governments and the private sector, in order to develop a stronger partnership for development.
“We have agreed that we will no longer sing discordant tunes of development efforts in the Niger Delta, because functioning independently has reasonably amounted to abandonment of projects, as it is assumed that people do not know who is responsible for what. But right now, from the common pool, we can hold particular agencies responsible,” Usani said.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, revealed that a programme involving the nine state governments in the Niger Delta region, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, his ministry, the Presidential Amnesty Office, oil and gas companies and other relevant stakeholders, would soon be rolled out to give room for jobs, contracts and business opportunities in the oil rich region.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig. General Paul Boroh, (rtd), noted that about 30,000 former militants, trained by his office were available for engagement by oil companies and other companies that were willing to engage them.
He added that the PAP has achieved a lot due to the understanding it has had with various ministries and leaders of the former agitators. Meanwhile, the Managing Director, Chevron Nigeria, Mr. Jeff Ewing, has lamented that oil companies were facing challenging time, saying that they were concerned about the safety of their installations in the Niger Delta region, so that they could generate enough revenue for the Federal Government.
Ewing added that oil companies appreciated the importance of working with host communities, the Ministries of Niger Delta Affairs and Petroleum Resources and other relevant agencies, to ensure sustainable peace in the region.
