By Oluwakemi Dauda and Damola Kola-Dare
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Umana Okon Umana, has called for joint action from agencies involved in the development of the Niger Delta region to end oil theft and pipeline vandalisation.
Umana spoke when the interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for the region, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (retd.), visited him in Abuja.
The minister said it was imperative to join forces to combat oil theft and pipeline vandalisation undermining the peace and security of the nation.
He said: “Those of us in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other stakeholders, including community leaders, should work together to address the burning issue in our region, which is the issue of oil theft and pipeline vandalisation.
“I don’t see how the Presidential Amnesty Programme can ignore something that serious. This is because it undermines, not only the stability of the region but also the peace and security of the nation.
“I would like all of us to sit down and come up with a solution to this problem. I challenge all of us to work together to assist the Federal Government to solve the problem.”
Umana also said different interventions by the ministry and the NDDC were being assessed to consolidate them into a blueprint for development of the region.
Also, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has begun the construction of the 4.5 kilometres access Road ‘D’ at the Federal Ocean Terminal in Onne Port Complex in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to ease the movement of cargo in and out of the port.
The 4.5-kilometre long road, which would be built with street lights and other complementary facilities, is expected to be delivered within 10 months.
NPA Managing Director Mohammed Bello-Koko, who led the construction at the weekend during his maiden visit to the port, said the road was part of the port expansion plan of Phase 4B that was awarded to the Deep Offshore Company.