President Olusegun Oba-sanjo yesterday stated that, despite recent hos-tage takings and the death of an expatriate held hostage in the Niger Delta, the situation in the volatile area is now controllable.
Though he described the recent development as �unfortunate and embarrassing�, he however declared that the situation in the area “is becoming more controllable.”
The President, in a meeting with members of the Honorary International Investors Council (HIIC) in State House yesterday, also noted that in addition to the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Comm-ission (NNDC), the recent setting up of the quarterly meeting of the All-Stakeholders Council on the Socio-Economic Development of the Niger Delta, had “opened a new way of doing things” in the region.
Obasanjo, who attributed the problem of the Niger Delta to “accumulated neglect of the past,” and the misconception by some groups, particularly the youth, that the neglect could be corrected overnight, admitted collective guilt of individuals, communities, oil companies, local, state and Federal Governments.
He, however, noted that the youth had now come to realise that “this is the first time that somebody is doing something” meaningful in the area, and the “communities are now condemning hostage-taking,” as an uncivilised way of expressing grievances.
Referring to the construction of the multi-billion naira East-West highway by the Federal Government that would open up Niger Delta hinterland within the next four years, the President said the youth “are now seeing that we mean business” in tackling the long neglect of the area which could not be remedied overnight.
President Obasanjo also spoke on changing the chaotic situation of Lagos and his Administration’s efforts to improve the country’s physical and human infrastructure, noting that, “we are moving steadily and decidedly to make Nigeria one of the 20 largest economies in the world in the year 2020.”
The Chief Executive of the Nigerian Investment Prom-otion Commission (NIPC), Engr. Mustapha Bello, whose organisation serves as the secretariat of the HIIC, gave an update on progress made on the Council decisions at its last meeting in London with regard to doing business in Nigeria and improving the country’s image, among others.
The co-ordinator of HIIC, Baroness Lynda Chalker, had stressed the urgent need to fix the Niger Delta problem in order to allay the anxiety of some potential foreign investors in the country.
Nov282006