allAfrica.com                                                                               *       


How to Tackle N'Delta Problem, By Uduaghan


This Day (Lagos)


NEWS
30 June 2008
Posted to the web 30 June 2008

By Kingsley Nwezeh
Lagos

For Nigeria to achieve peace and stability in the Niger Delta region, the
Federal Government should address the core issue of marginalisation while
adopting a realistic and sincere approach to the problems confronting the
region.

This is the position of the Delta State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, who
also maintained that the violence being unleashed on Nigerians and expatriates
working in oil companies in the region by militants was not a solution to the
problem.



Speaking to newsmen in Asaba, Uduaghan said the Federal Government would have
to addrress the multi-pronged complaints of marginalisation of the people of
the area in relation to appointments, unemployment, contracts from oil
companies, issues bodering on environmental degradation among others.

"The solution will come when the issue of marginalisation is addressed.
Marginalisation in terms of appointments, employment, contracts from oil
companies,payment of royalties. There must be a particular solution to each to
give rise to a final solution", he advocated.

Uduaghan stated that dialogue rather than violence will address the
hydra-headed problem.

"Violence is not the answer to the problem. It might attract attention but not
the solution. It is time to stop the violence so that the issue can be dealt
with", he said.

On the planned Niger Delta Summit as a panacea to the troubled region, he was
non commital on the likely impact of the summit in resolving the problem but
held that the summit" has been packaged by the Federal Government. A lot of
papers have been written on the Niger Delta, committees have been set up. The
Federal Government will analyse all the reports and present an agenda to the
Niger Delta for discussion".

The Delta State Chief executive spoke of his administration's three-point
agenda of human capital development, infrastructural development and peace and
security which has engendered peace and stability and eliminated militant
activities in the state to which he implored other states in the region to take
a cue from.

According to him, the appointment of eight commissioners each from the three
senatorial districts of the state; the establishment of the Delta State Oil
Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) which takes half of the
federal allocations amounting to N2billion monthly to the state for the
development of the said areas, has doused tension in the state leaving a
situation where every part of the state has a stake in the scheme of things.The
Delta Waterways Security Committee made up of youths and set up by his
administration to tackle security on the waterways, has contributed immensely
to the reigning peace in the state as it provides intelligence information from
the creeks on likely flash points which are swiftly nipped in the bud.


  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 2008 This Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global
                            Media (allAfrica.com).
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       
Quantcast