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Tag: Niger-Delta

  • Aspirants opposed to Port Harcourt venue are against Rivers, Niger Delta, says Wike

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike yesterday slammed some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirants for alleged opposition to Port Harcourt as venue for the party’s National Convention October 5 and 6.

    He said such aspirants, by their action, showed “they are against the economic interest of the state and Niger Delta.”

    Besides, he said such aspirants have failed to live up to their campaign for the restructuring of the country.

    PDP is billed to hold a convention to elect its presidential candidate on October 5 and 6 in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. Thirteen aspirants are jostling for the ticket.

    The Port Harcourt venue, endorsed by some aspirants, has not gone down well with other aspirants.

    Describing the opposition to Port Harcourt as strange, Wike said there was no other way to explain such cold feeling towards holding the convention in Port Harcourt apart from the fact that the aspirants involved had no economic interest of Rivers and Niger Delta at heart.

    He said: “Those who are against the PDP convention holding in Port Harcourt don’t have the the economic interest of Rivers and Niger Delta at heart.

    “If you are telling the people of the state and by extension Niger Delta that you don’t want such event to hold in their domain as an aspirant, how will you act when you become a president? How do you expect the people you are telling that you don’t like their state to vote for you during the election?”

    The governor described as worrisome that the same people who have been traversing the length and breadth of the country calling for the restructuring of Nigeria were kicking against the choice of Port Harcourt as venue for the convention.

    He asked: “Why are they not acting in tandem with their campaign for the restructuring of Nigeria? From their opposition to Port Harcourt, it means the restructuring campaign is a mere lip service”.

    All the aspirants, he said, will enjoy a level playing field, insisting that the choice of Port Harcourt is not meant to give any aspirant an edge over others.

    The governor said: “Every aspirant will be given a level playing field.

    Holding the convention in Port Harcourt does not mean anybody will have undue advantage. What it will do for the state is that it will boost its local economy because groundnut, sellers of water in satchets and food vendors will have more sales. Hoteliers will also record increased business.

    “That is the only thing Rivers State stands to gain from holding the convention in Port Harcourt. And anybody who is against Port Harcourt hosting the event does not like the state. He is against the economic interest of the state”.

    According to Wike, the person who will emerge the candidate of the party will emerge on the basis of his political clout and not on any other consideration.

    He said that what PDP members need at the moment “is not to bicker over the choice of convention venue but to work in unity to achieve the goal of the party which he said is to wrest power from the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “We need to work together, we don’t need any division at this moment. Our goal must be to win in 2019.”

  • Jonathan’s ally seeks Bayelsa Rep seat

    A political ally of former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Speaker in the old Rivers State House of Assembly, Chief Claudius Enegesi, is pushing to win the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for Ogbia Federal Constitueency.

    Enegesi, believed to be the favourite for the ticket, was on Saturday screened and cleared by the party in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Enegesi, a former member of the National Executive Committee of the PDP and pioneer Chairman of the party in Bayelsa, vowed to attract federal presence to Jonathan’s constituency.

    He said his top agenda would be the remediation of the Niger Delta environment if elected to represent the constituency.

    The former commissioner in three different ministries in the state said he was the most experienced aspirants for the position following his three-decade service in some of the highest levels of politics in the country.

    Read Also: I didn’t start vote-buying in Nigeria – Jonathan

    He said: “I have seen the devastation that oil has caused our land and up until now, this country has not given our people their dues even after bearing the brunt of environmental devastation due to oil exploration and exploitation.

    “I have a background in science. My focus when presenting bills would be how to leverage and ameliorate the plight of my people. There is kpo fire (illegal oil refineries) in my place and there is a high level of theft even by the security people.

    “If I am given the chance, I have the voice and I will cry out over the level of devastation currently going on in this area.”

    The politician who spoke at the PDP secretariat in Yenagoa, after undergoing screening, expressed optimism that the best and most qualified candidate would emerge eventually.

    “The chances are very bright. I am a former legislator who represented Ogbia constituency 1 under the National Republican Convention (NRC) where my colleagues found me worthy to become the Speaker.

    “After the creation of Bayelsa, I became the pioneer chairman of the PDP here and I saw to it that PDP was entrenched and it has been ruling the state.

    “I have garnered a lot of experience in the legislature, in business and even as a renowned administrator”,

    Aside the environment, he vowed to push for the establishment of an efficient transportation system in the region.

    “The transport system here is not developed. I am going to ensure that I present bills that will enhance the free movement of goods and services in this region” he added.

     

  • Unrepentant criminals in the Niger Delta’ll face the law-Navy

    The Central Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy has said it will not spare anyone caught engaging in criminal activities within the Niger Delta waterways.
    Sounding the note of warning on Wednesday, during an inspection tour of the facilities under the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta in Warri, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) , Rear Admiral Saidu Garba, also cited reasons for the decrease in crude oil theft and illegal oil refining in the area.
    Garba, who was taken round the facilities by the Commander of the NNS Delta, Commodore Ibrahim Dewu, noted that society would always have it’s share of bad eggs, but advised those engaging in illegal and criminal activities within the Delta rivers to turn a new leave and seek other legal and peaceful means of livelihood.
    He warned that anyone nabbed in criminality in the waterways would be made to face the law.
    “We are advising them to engage in productive ventures that will enable them make clean money that will allow them live peacefully because these criminals are unable to enjoy whatever illicit gains they make through criminality because they still have to be living in hiding. They should come out, engage in productive and legal ventures because anyone we catch breaking the law will certainly face the law,” he warned.
    Giving reasons why incidences of oil theft and illegal oil refining had reduced in the Central Naval Command’s area of responsibility, Garba said three major security strategies had been useful in containing the area.
    “As you know, crude oil theft and other such criminal activities have reduced as a result of a number of measures put in place, one of which is the permanent operation at sea, which is called Operation Tsare-Teku. Tsare-Teku maintains a number of vessels at sea at all times.
    “The second one is the Swamp bogey operation, whereby we go around demolishing all illegal infrastructure that have been put in place for illegal oil production. The third one is the choke-point regime, in which we have our house boats at strategic points within the inner waterways, which are the backwaters, ensuring there are no illegal movement of any kind of illegally produced products in that general area.
    “We’ve been able to sustain these three and with them we have been able to curtail flow of illicit oil activities in our are of responsibility.”
    The Naval chief said he was in Warri as part of the familiarisation tour of the bases under his command, giving a high recommendation to the NNS Delta, which he described as the most critical security outfit to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
    “I have gone round and I have seen that the personnel are ready, ships are ready to go to sea and some are already at sea, guarding the activities of well meaning users of the seas and also ensuring that criminals engaged in any unlawful activities are arrested and brought to justice,” he said.

  • CSOs blame huge financial deficit in power sector

    The Network of Nigeria Civil Society Organisations have blamed the huge financial deficit in the power sector on nonpayment of services received by users of electricity.

    The organization said power distributors in the country have not captured many users of electricity who do not pay for the service they get from power distribution companies (DISCOs).

    Director-General, NNCSOs, Agbonkpolor Splendor, stated this in a paper that he presented in Abuja, on Wednesday.

    He called on DISCOs to intensify effort in the enumeration of electricity consumers nationwide in order to establish the actual number of power users across the country.

    Splendor explained that it was not completely true that Nigerians hardly pay for the electricity they consume.

    He said “Nigerians want to and are willing to pay for light or electricity, but the truth is that they can’t get it as expected. Also, it is important to state that the government should be making money from electricity, not just the power firms.

    “But how can this be without proper enumeration of power users across the country? This is why we are calling for increased power consumers’ enumeration by the distribution companies. This is very important and should be taken seriously.”

    He stressed that until Nigeria gets the power sector right, “nothing will be right.”

    Read Also: Cultists kill former CSO of Ibadan Polytechnic

    “As a matter of fact, electricity is the main power for the future. Therefore there is nothing that we wish for or desire as a nation that will be achieved in continuous darkness,” he stated.

    He noted that the Niger Delta Power Holding Company limited was set up as a fast track power sector infrastructure company, adding that despite the feats achieved by the firm, Nigeria’s electricity industry was still far from the desired target.

    He stated that so far, the NDPHC had completed over 4,000MW of its originally designed capacity, representing 80 per cent of its mandate.

    “The NDPHC has a mandate to manage the power projects under the National Integrated Power Projects scheme of the three tiers of government. This in our view is an emergency intervention scheme to tackle the deficit and expand power sector across Nigeria.

    “The agency has a key mandate to develop 10 power plants with a designed capacity of over 5,067 megawatts among other critical projects. Eight of the 10 power plants in the NIPP portfolio that are to support commercial operations have been inaugurated and connected to the national grid,” he said.

    He urged stakeholders in the sector to support the NDPHC in building a future where electricity for all would become a reality.

  • 2019: Niger Delta militants endorse Buhari

    Niger Delta creek warlords under the auspices of the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers ( RNDA ) on Monday backed the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari .

    The militants declared that Buhari is the only Nigerian President that has shown practical commitment to peace and willingness to develop the Niger Delta region.

    The Leader, RNDA, ‘Maj.-Gen’. John Mark Ezenobi aka Obama in a statement said they took the decision to support Buhari at a crucial meeting attended by the group’s service commanders in Benin River of Egbema in Rivers State.

    The RNDA said it reviewed the activities of past presidents including those of former President Goodluck Jonathan and came up with a verdict that Buhari remained the best among them.

    The RNDA, a coalition of nine militant groups, said the Niger Delta region suffered from under development and massive looting of oil resources under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    It described the 16-year administration of the PDP including the period Jonathan administered the country as a disaster.

    The group said despite ongoing devilish efforts to damage Buhari’s reputation, his integrity and sustained fight against corruption stood him out as the best candidate for the Presidency in 2019.

    RNDA said it was unfortunate that “self-acclaimed” leaders of the Niger Delta region and “so-called” PDP South South Governors were still celebrating looters, who contributed to the under-development of the Niger Delta region.

    It dismissed members of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) as a group of failed and corrupt PDP members and self-acclaimed fathers to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    RNDA said most of the people parading themselves as PANDEF misled Jonathan and the likes of former ministers of Petroleum and Niger Delta Affairs, Diezani Allison-Madueke and Godday Orubebe and looted the funds meant for the development of the region.

    The statement said: “The RNDA with the coalition of the nine militant groups in the creeks has endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for another term in office.

    “This endorsement is because of the President’s integrity characterized so far in fighting against menance of corruption to standstill in the country because the it is corruption and bad leadership that have contributed to the under development of the Niger Delta region and the country at large,

    “Buhari-led Federal Government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has shown much commitment to address the under-developmental challenges facing the Niger Delta region for decades caused by the corrupt previous bad administration of PDP, which wasted 16 years of governance.

    “RNDA note with regret that the six years administration of former President Good luck ‘Badluck’ Jonathan was characterised by massive corruption, looting, favouritism and gross non-supervision of his appointees with no completed project in the long-neglected region.

    Read Also: Ekiti Poll: Tribunal begins sitting, pledges to be fair

    “Jonathan’s government took the people of the Niger Deltaand region back to the stone age of under development”.

    “RNDA accepted the Federal Government’s ceasefire agreement in 2016 for dialogue. This led to the remarkable and sustained peace process in the region following renewed destruction and bombing of oil installation and facilities that crippled the nation’s crude oil output and eventually led to recession.

    “Most worrisome and painful is the fact that Former President Jonathan’s administration goofed on the development of the region as he was unable to complete the road to his Otuoke community in Bayelsa State.

    “RNDA is pleased with President Buhari’s willingness and commitment to the development of the Niger Delta since he came on board in 2015 inspite of the economic recession that greeted the emergence of his administration as the crude oil price hit an all time low of N35 per barrel.

    “President Buhari fight against corruption which was the signpost of the previous PDP administrations clearly defined his stand on the development of the region.

    “We commend him for the smooth take off of academic activities at the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, and we commend the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi for the approval for the dredging of the Escravos River to enable cargo vessels access Warri which will in turn boost economic activities”.

    The militants, however, urged the Federal Government to look into the implementation of the three percent gas fund to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    They appealed to Buhari to expedite efforts in the construction of Bonny inland roads, completion of the East West road, approval for the deep Sea Port project at Akwa Ibom State, Gas Flare penalty fund and pipeline surveillance jobs.

    Others they said required government’s attention are, proper funding of the NDDC and release of 10 licences for modular refineries as well as the relocation of the headquarters of multinational oil companies to the Niger Delta.

    The militant coalition identified good leaders of the region saying their superlative efforts brought the peace and development in Niger Delta.

    The named the leaders as the Paramount Ruler of Seimbiri Kingdom and National leader of the Pan Niger Delta People’s Congress (PNPDC), HRM Pere Charles Ayemi Botu (Former National Chairman of TROMPCON), the Ibenanaowei of Ogulagha Kingdom, HRM Elder Captain Joseph Timiyan and Alabo Graham Douglas.

    Others are former Minister of Aviation, High Chief Francis Inegbiniki, Jude Tabai, son of retired Supreme Court Justice, Elder T. k Ogoriba, HOSTCOM National Chairman, Dr. Mike Emuh among others”

    The group described them as men of integrity who staked their lives for the peace of the region and appealed to President Buhari to begin dialogue with the individuals.

    But RNDA asked President Buhari and the office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) to be wary of some some self-acclaimed leaders of the Niger Delta such like Mike Loyibo.

    He said such persons parade themselves in Abuja on behalf of the region to curry favour but have never pushed for any form of development for the region.

    “While we wish to work with the new Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Professor Charles Dokubo, he should be mindful of Members of PANDEF .

    “PANDEF misled the immediate past Coordinator of PAP, Retired General Paul Boroh and abandoned him when the tide was against him despite spending millions of naira on the group made up of failed and corrupt PDP politicians”, the group said.

  • NDDC, communities partner on project implementation

    Communities in the Niger Delta have expressed their readiness to interface with Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as a way of ensuring effective  implementation of NDDC projects in their localities.

    This was disclosed during the training of local project monitors from selected communities in the Niger Delta.

    According to an official of LITE Africa, a civil society group that facilitated the project,  Arinze Ojukwu, the training was aimed at equipping the monitors with necessary skills for effective monitoring of projects implementations, particularly those by NDDC in their communities.

    “They were part of the implementation of a project known as Strengthening the Capacity of Stakeholders for Effective Engagement of NDDC (SCOSEN) which is jointly implemented by Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-Africa) and Community Empowerment and Development Initiative(CEDI).

    “It is a 3 month project implemented in six communities (Ugbolokposo, Okuatata, Ebrumede, Edjeba, Ugbuwangue and Ugbori) in two local government areas of Uvwie and Warri South in Delta state.

    “The exercise trained community leaders on project monitoring and effective advocacy engagement with the NDDC to bring to the fore the issues of community ownership and participation in projects design implementation and monitoring of NDDC projects.” he explained.

    Asked what prompted the decision to train the people said,  “During the Monitoring and Evaluations exercise to evaluate the impact of the project on beneficiary communities, it was observed that the SCOSEN project served as an opportunity to experiment how effective the project objectives were met in the six communities with a view to building on lessons learned and promoting a broader roll-out of the approach.”

    Reacting to the development,  community members praised the efforts of LITE-Africa and CEDI on increasing their knowledge and capacity to effectively monitor NDDC projects and advocate for better service delivery.

    It was explained that the establishment and training of the Local Project Monitors (LPMs) at community level provided guidance and monitoring of projects during project implementation through the work of the LPM, NDDC would enable NDDC get community feedbacks on how their projects are implemented and how it affects the lives of community members.

    This they noted has also contributed to strengthening the relationship between the communities and the NDDC.

    “Prior to the initiative,  on the spot assessment and investigation of the impact of NDDC projects in the Nigerian Delta communities shows that Community members believe that NDDC implements projects for their benefit but would like the commission to always have a robust engagement with the communities before deciding on projects to be cited and where, this in their view would help to further increase community ownership of projects and reduce incidences of projects duplication and abandonment.

    “Some community members affirmed that the knowledge and skills gained from the SCOSEN project have empowered them to take ownership of NDDC projects in their locality and they believe that monitoring of projects is very important to the general service delivery of NDDC projects.

    “Some of the beneficiaries took the initiative from the knowledge gained in the SCOSEN project and visited the NDDC office in Warri on advocacy to request for better project delivery and draw the commissions attention to some sub-standard and abandoned projects in their communities.”

    Appraising the impact of the groups projects,  Ojukwu said: “The SCOSEN project has made some impact and on the long run it is seen to be sustainable as the established LPMs will not only monitor NDDC projects but also other government agencies in the Niger Delta Institutions (NDIs) in their communities, said some of the trained monitors. It is recommended that NDDC project managers work in line with the LPMs to effectively monitor projects in the beneficiary communities to ensure their mandate is carried out by their contractors.

    “This will lead to socio-economic development of the Niger Delta and improved relationships between communities and the NDDC.”

  • N/Delta: Ex-agitators rule out creeks as 200 acquire auto skills

    A total of 200 ex-agitators of Niger Delta youths on Thursday, pledged not to go back to the creeks following their training in various trades in Nnewi, Anambra State.

    The youths underwent a 9-month training in automobile, auto-painting, welding, electronics, among others under the federal government Education for Employment programme in collaboration with Innoson Kiara Academy.

    Speaking during their graduation ceremony held at the Innoson premises in Nnewi, one of them, Abraham Peter, thanked the federal government for partly keeping to its promises of equipping them with skills.

    He however called for the completion of the promise by empowering them so they would not contemplate going back to the creeks.

    “Training someone with skills without a corresponding empowerment is like throwing a stone into a river.

    “The skills we’ve acquired will only be useful if the government empowers us financially so we will not be tempted to go back to the creeks,” he said.

    Another beneficiary, Gbalubi David, said the training would not only enable him start his own business, but train other unemployed youths.

    He however advocated for extension of the training period, saying the nine months duration was inadequate in view of the volume of the training packages.

    Earlier, the CEO, Innoson Kiara Academy, Mr. Endi Ezengwa, said the Innoson Kiara in partnership with the Presidential Amnesty Office, had trained over 600 ex-agitators since three years of its commencement.

    He said the trainees had undergone examination by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) to give the exercise national credibility.

    Describing Innoson factory as unique, Ezengwa said the peculiarity of the environment provides the trainees with both skills and entrepreneurial spirit to compete favorably with their contemporaries.

    He assured the graduants of federal government’s assistance towards their establishment, even as he canvassed for federal and state governments’ patronage to ensure the market’s steady relevance.

  • NAF warns Militants against disturbing peace in Niger Delta

    The Nigerian Air Force ( NAF ) has warned militants in the Niger Delta who recently threatened to resume hostilities to have a rethink or meet their doom in the process.

    The Air Officer Commanding (AOC) the Mobility Command of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Napoleon Bali, who gave the warning in Warri on Tuesday during an operational visit to the 371 NAF Detachment, Osubi, Okpe council area of Delta state, said the air force is current in a fit form for operations.

    AVM Bali, who was conducted round some completed and ongoing projects at the 371 NAF Detachment Clinic at Jeddo and the NAF Officers’ Mess on Mission Road, GRA Warri, said his command, with units across the Niger Delta, would always play its part to support other security agencies to give law abiding Nigerians a peaceful environment to live in.

    Conducted round the NAF facilities within the Osubi Airstrip and other locations by the Commander of the 371 NAF Detachment, Air Commodore Yakubu Daniel, the Air Force chief commended the Chief of Air Staff for making funds available for the projects embarked on by the detachment.

    “My words for those threatening to foment trouble is that they better hold fire, but where they dare it, they should be ready for whatever comes their way.
    The Mobility Command is ever ready to carry out its duties. The idea of the Mobility Command is to add value to whatever security arrangements that have been put together in the Niger Delta.

    “I have units in Calabar, Uyo, Warri here and others are scattered all over the country and I can tell you the idea is to make sure that law abiding citizens go about their normal businesses. We are here to collaborate with other security agencies to ensure that the Niger Delta is free of criminals and economic saboteurs.

    “This is my first operational visit to this unit. It is to find out how they are doing and to ascertain whether all the directives and tasks given by the headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force are being followed through accordingly, based on the Constitution of our country.

  • Dickson to Niger Delta: Accept police apology on Clark

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has appealed to the leaders and people of the Niger Delta to accept the apology tendered by the Police authorities to Ijaw National Leader, Pa Edwin Clark, following the raid of his Abuja residence by policemen.

    The governor commended the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, for the thoughtful act of tendering an apology to the 92-year-old Niger Delta elder and leader over the unfortunate raid.

    A statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relations, Mr.  Fidelis Soriwei, stated that the Governor made the call while addressing a meeting of Ijaw youths in his country home of Toru Orua on Friday.

    He commended the move by the Inspector-General and police authorities to send a high-powered delegation led by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, Mr. Habitat Joshak, to convey their apologies to Pa Clark.

    Dickson, who earlier called on the police authorities to apologize to Pa Clark, the Ijaw nation and Nigerians in general over the action, said that the leaders and people of the Niger Delta should accept the apology since the police authorities already punished those behind the infamous harassment of the elder statesman.

    The governor urged the IGP to institute a mechanism to prevent the rampant harassment of innocent citizens by police operatives on frivolous allegations

    He said the actions of the police were causing harassment and destruction of properties across the country, and denting the image of the police and the government.

    Read Also: Police apologise to Clark over raid

    He said that became necessary for the IGP to adopt measures to stop the undemocratic practice to prevent innocent citizens from traumatic harassment by state agents.

    He stressed that the failure of the police to discover arms and ammunition in the residences of those raided by the police only showed the need for the IGP to take a second look at his internal mechanisms to prevent abuse.

    He said: “I want to commend the Inspector General of Police and the police authorities for tendering an apology to our leader, Pa Edwin Clark, over the unfortunate raid of his Abuja residence on Tuesday.

    “The IGP sent a high-powered delegation of senior police officers led by a Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Habitat Joshak, alongside other top police officers to convey the apology of the police authorities to Pa Clark. I am of the view that that shows respect and genuine show of apology.

    “I urge the leaders, the youths and people of the Niger Delta to accept the apology of the police authorities because they have already commenced steps to punish those involved in the unnecessary raid of Pa Clark’s residence.

    “However, I call on the IGP and indeed the police authorities to stop the rampant harassment on innocent citizens by the police on frivolous allegations.

    “Such raids have taken place in Bayelsa and indeed across the country. The fact that the police have not found any arms or ammunition showed the need for the IGP to overhaul his internal mechanism to prevent abuse.”

    He advised the youth advised Ijaw youth leaders to be calm and await the further steps that the IGP will take on the harassment of the elder Statesman.

    Dickson called on the IGP to monitor the use of police by politicians who used them for missions other than the reason for which they are deployed.

  • I defected to APC to help stabilise Niger Delta, says Uduaghan

    Former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has given the quest to advance the cause of peace and development in the Niger Delta as the reasons why he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Uduaghan, who was governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), surfaced at the National caucus meeting of the APC at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday night to confirm speculations that he had joined the ruling party.

    He spoke to reporters after the meeting  and issued a statement yesterday to shed more light on his move.

    He said “Politics is about interest. I’m from the Niger Delta and I managed a lot of crises in Niger Delta.

    “Sometimes I went to the creeks and engaged the boys, and my principle when I was managing the Niger Delta was that of engagement, and the current APC government has succeeded in managing the crisis they have met through engagement.

    “The President was seeing a lot of leaders from the Niger Delta while the Vice President went from state to state  making a lot of engagements, and agreements were reached.

    “Nobody at that level had gone from state to state before in Nigeria, this was the first time and of course if that is happening, they need to be supported by those of us from the Niger Delta who are passionate about Niger Delta so that in moving forward we can have solutions to the crisis of Niger Delta.

    “If a new person comes he would start putting agreements up again and all that,’’ he said.

    Uduaghan added: “Secondly in the area of infrastructure, this government has done very well.

    “Talking about my state, for the first time a rail line came to Delta, for the first time the gas city which we have been talking about, a committee has been officially inaugurated and for the first time we have human capital development projects, school feeding; a lot is happening in Niger Delta.

    “So for me, let me join the party to be able to effect changes because we cannot achieve anything by working from the outside in the Niger Delta.

    “Some of us have to join the APC train and many people are going to come with me so that we can achieve a lot more in the Niger Delta for the APC government.

    “Politics is about regional interest and I’m interested in the Niger Delta.

    In a statement yesterday, he said: “For over 12 years, I was deeply involved in the management of the issues of the region, first as Secretary to State Government, SSG, and then as Governor of Delta State for 8 years. Strategically, we had engagement as our major tool.

    “The toughest challenge for any leader in the Niger Delta since 1997 has been the issue of Peace and Security.

    He said “there has been an encouraging interest and activities by President Muhammadu Buhari to bring a permanent solution to the Niger Delta crisis.

    “The Buhari administration has embarked on various engagement processes that have led to agreements and brought hope to the people of the Niger Delta. In the last years, Mr. President has personally engaged several regional leaders and youths. Senior officials of his administration also engaged many Niger Delta leaders and youths. Very significant is that Mr. President mandated Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo to visit virtually all the oil producing states, engaging various stakeholders. This is unprecedented in the history of the region. Such engagement processes have brought some measure of peace in the Niger Delta. Things can only get better.

    He listed what the Buhari government has done for the region to include

    “Some infrastructural and human capital development, the opening of a Maritime University; the setting up of a steering committee for the EPZ (GAS CITY), the plan for a deep sea port, the dredging of the Escravos-Warri River; the opening of the railway line to Delta Steel Company, the soon to be flagged off Omadino-Escravos Road that will pass through many riverine communities; the various road construction works by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the various TCN projects.”

    “Indeed, once Mr. President was able to set his priorities pursuant to creating an environment for peace in the region, it became incumbent on every well-meaning Niger Deltan and Nigerian to assist the process of building an economically prosperous nation.

    “In this era of partisan politics, it is necessary for the people of the Niger Delta, and Delta State in particular, to identify more with the Federal Government led by the APC. By so doing, we can push some of the agreements between our leaders and the Federal Government through, and also engage the government to do more. Politics is about interests.”