Technical committee assures Niger Deltans

Written by Jimitota Onoyume

Friday, 03 October 2008

THE newly constituted Niger Delta technical committee has assured that its recommendations at the end of its exercise would certainly be a credible road map to enduring peace in the region.

Member of the committee and foremost Ijaw activist, Dr. Youpele Banigo, told Vanguard in a chat, yesterday in Port Harcourt , that the committee was already working round the clock to ensure it delivers on its responsibilities.

According to him, among other things, the committee when it resumes on Monday would begin critical and comprehensive examination of numerous recommendations on the region with a view to producing a robust, “infallible single body of document to government.

“Besides the most popular documents such as the Willinks Report, Popoola Report, Ogomudia Report, we shall also critically look at other reports, proposals and recommendations available, some made by Nigerians and others by foreigners.

Furthermore, in order to get the benefits of every document available, members resolved to invite stakeholders and the general public to send in any materials they possess and also make fresh inputs. We hope to give government a true view of the region.”

Continuing, he said responses from various groups in the region and the nation in terms of submission of position papers have been very encouraging.

He blamed the incessant crises and conflicts in the region on the failure of past governments to harness the gains in the area for the overall development of the people and the nation. Adding that attempts in the past to tackle the problem had met brick wall, a situation he lamented.

“As you probably know the Niger Delta is the most documented part of Nigeria , being the first region in the country to host western civilization. The region is also the hub of oil and gas industry, petrochemical and agro-allied industries as well as entertainment industry.

And because of the lack of sufficient machinery to coordinate these human, industrial and economic activities, the region has been perpetually thrown into conflicts, violence, insurrection and underdevelopment. Evidently, governments over the years attempted to address the peculiar troubles in the region. For instance, the departing colonial authorities, even before oil was discovered, identified the Niger Delta environment as potentially grave and perennially stressed, and recommended the establishment of a special agency to tackle the difficulties associated with the environment. This led to the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Board (NDDB) in 1962 as an advisory board in accordance with the provisions of the Niger Delta Development Act 1961. Subsequent governments have also set up their institutions to address the same issue. But the fact that, there is so much poverty, underdevelopment, insecurity in the region clearly demonstrates that these initiatives seem to have failed“

On the call by some for the newly created ministry on Niger delta to be located in the region, Dr Banigo said he would wish it is in Abuja just as he urged the federal government to demonstrate the will that would make the ministry succeed. But he said if government in its wisdom chooses to locate the ministry in the region then it should be in the least developed state

“The agitation for the Ministry to be domiciled in the region, I think, suggests … the agitation is borne out of the fact that the people want to relate to the Ministry directly. The people want a feel of it, not some distant thing that will require a day’s journey which many people cannot afford. Though I will vote for Abuja , the idea of locating it in the Niger Delta is not wrong in so far as it works. If the government chooses to locate it in the Niger Delta region, we should locate it in the least developed state in the region'

Posted by Inemo Samiama