STATES in the Niger Delta are mobilising resources to bring the menace of militants, especially kidnapping to an end. The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Eunice Thomas, who made this known yesterday in Uyo at the second batch training programme on garment design and production sponsored by Mobil Producing Nigeria, said the measure was to improve on security in the region.
Although she did not give details of the security arrangement, Thomas assured expatriates in the state of safety, saying the state government was in the forefront of providing a safe environment for them to operate.
An official of Mobil, Mrs. Regina Otobong said the training was for 30 youths selected from the three senatorial districts of the state and would last for six months.
She explained that the 30 trainees would participate in an intensive training organised by the Uforo Small Business Owners Association with focus on garment making, milliner and batik as well as technical and business management skills to enable them excel in the industry.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Niger Delta, Chief Ufot Ekaette has appealed to militants in the region to sheathe their swords and allow the ministry to begin the process of transforming the area.
Ekaette said though the money allocated to the ministry in this year’s budget might not fix all the problems in the zone at once, “it is better to start with what is available and ask for more, since there is no time to waste, given the crippling effect of long neglect of the area.”
The minister, who was accompanied by his Minister of State, Chief Godsday Orubebe stated this at a stakeholders’ meeting attended by Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, top government functionaries and traditional rulers at the Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday.
Ekaette said after 50 years of oil production, which has been characterised by environmental degradation, poverty and diseases, it was time to change the story and open up the Niger Delta with good roads, water, electricity, houses and hospitals.
The minister admonished armed groups in the region to allow those ready to work for the transformation of the Niger Delta to do so. He stated that it does not advance the cause of the region in any way for those who claim to be struggling for it to disrupt road construction meant to open up the area and vandalise oil pipelines and facilities meant for the people.
Amaechi said unrest in the Niger Delta would be stemmed if poverty, unemployment and the rule of law were effectively tackled.
Also, the Minister of Youth Development, Akinlabi Olasunkanmi, has appealed to the youth to give peace a chance and allow government develop the region.
He said nothing could be achieved without the cooperation and support of the youth.
“To build a strong virile, and united Nigeria, the youths must agree and work together. Together we can make this nation great again through dialogue and peaceful resolution and reconciliation of our differences and interests,” he noted.
Olasunkanmi spoke at a three-day peace building and conflict resolution workshop organised by Federal Ministry of Youth Development with the support of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President (OSSAP) on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Debt Relief Grant (DRG).
He disclosed that government was committed to the resolution of the Niger Delta crisis and creation of an enabling environment for youths of the region and Nigeria to compete favourably with their counterparts in the advanced world.
The objectives of the workshop, which took place at the NYSC camp in Abia State on Thursday, are to re-orientate the youth, inculcate in them the importance of communication and dialogue in resolving conflicts; promote peace and tolerance among youth in the communities, and promote understanding between communities in the area.
Source: The Guardian