GOV DICKSON WANTS NIGER DELTANS TO RALLY ROUND FG IN CURRENT EFFORTS AT DEVELOPING THE REGION; COMMENDS PROPOSED SUMMIT OF STAKEHOLDERS

28/03/2013
GOV DICKSON WANTS NIGER DELTANS TO RALLY ROUND FG IN CURRENT EFFORTS AT DEVELOPING THE REGION; COMMENDS PROPOSED SUMMIT OF STAKEHOLDERS

 The people of the Niger Delta have been urged to rally round the Federal Government and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs on efforts to develop the area.Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson gave the advice when officials of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs led by its Minister,Elder GodsDay Orubebe paid him a courtesy call in Government House,Yenagoa.

Governor Dickson noted that though the Niger Delta region is besetwith myriad of development challenges, sustainable progress can onlybe achieved in the region through mutual understanding and cooperation by the people.Stressing the need for collective responsibility, the Governorobserved that the current groundswell of criticism levelled againstthe ministry was unnecessary in the meantime as development of theregion could not be achieved over night.He commended the Federal Government and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for the pragmatic measures being used to redress the longperiod of neglect the region has suffered.

Governor Dickson, who also expressed delight at the ongoing efforts ofthe ministry to bring all critical stakeholders together with a viewto evolving a common development blueprint for the region, assured the Minister of the State’s readiness to participate actively at theproposed all-inclusive summit.“I’m very encouraged and impressed with the steps your ministry hastaken in very difficult circumstances to ensure that the East-Westroad is delivered not just to the people of Niger Delta but to allNigerians.  So, I want to thank and also urge you not to lose focus.

With the successes that have already been recorded in terms of thatroad, and most importantly with your emphasis now on bringing allstakeholders on board, which is another critical issue you are (again)pioneering.  It is commendable because at the end of the day thedevelopment of the Niger Delta is a collective dream and duty for allof us. We should not make it to be like an “us and them situation”.“I’m very delighted at your proposal to have an all-inclusive summitso that we can all harness our various resources and then at the endof the day make inputs and come up with a concrete time-frame for acollaborative developmental agenda for the Niger Delta region. 

I assure you that the Government of Bayelsa State will collaborate with you on that summit.  We look forward to a very robust summit. We will be there and participate actively in it”.

Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, ElderGodsDay Orubebe said the visit was part of his tour of all the statesin the region to inform its Governors of a stakeholders summit theministry has scheduled to hold by April this year in Uyo, the AkwaIbom State capital.The Minister, who reaffirmed his ministry’s preparedness to deliverthe East-West Road by 2014, attributing the delay in the completion ofthe road to the absence of detailed designs and drawings as at when it was awarded in 2006 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He called on the Niger Delta People to support the Federal Government, adding that “there is no better period to do that than now”.He attributed the delay in the completion of the road to absence ofdetailed designs and drawings as at when it was awarded in 2006 byformer President Olusegun Obasanjo.

 Daniel Iworiso-Markson
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa state