Concerned by the continued crisis, especially child kidnapping and hostage taking in the Niger Delta, the Action Congress has called on the Federal Government to create a separate ministry for the region.
The party said the creation of the Ministry of the Niger Delta and a blueprint for the accelerated development of the region with emphasis on infrastructure, amenities, job and wealth creation for the people remained the immediate first steps to address the crisis.
The party�s position was contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and made available to our correspondent on Sunday.
Calling for an urgent and holistic solution to the worsening crisis, the party warned that the current piecemeal approach and seeming lack of seriousness on the part of stakeholders could consume the country.
The party said while these first steps in themselves would not end the crisis, they would start the process of giving the long-suffering people of the region a sense of belonging, which has been missing for so long.
AC said, �The Niger Delta crisis is probably today the single most complex problem facing us as a nation, and we will either swim or sink with it depending on how we tackle it.
�Addressing the issue of hostage taking, for example, on a case by case basis as we are presently doing is mere tokenism, which could even worsen the situation instead of alleviating it.�