Here's how FG plans to tackle issues in Nigeria’s oil rich region

Tagged ‘’, the plan is expected to create a future of success and prosperity for the region.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Niger Delta, Edobor Iyamu, in his opening remarks at a one-day capacity-building workshop for the media, civil society organizations and staff of ministries, departments and agencies in Abuja on Wednesday, June 27, 2018.

Iyamu noted that the New Vision was designed to promote development in the region through a forthright partnership between the federal government, state government, private sector and local community.

He maintained that the plan was designed to positively change the narrative of failed promises and abandoned projects and create a future of success and prosperity which the people of the region so earnestly deserve.

“Some of the quick wins of the Niger Delta New Vision include establishment of the Maritime University as academic activities commenced on March 12, 2018, with the intake of 338 freshmen. Presently there are three faculties – transport, engineering and environmental management," he said.

“On the Ogoni clean-up, prequalification process has been completed. We are now at the technical and commercial bid stage in line with our extant laws on public procurement.

“On modular refinery, two modular refineries have obtained licenses and have since commenced construction work. One of them is about 70% completion in Kwale, Delta State and the other is in Rivers State.

“We are also looking at gas commercialization as this will address the issue of gas flare. The legal and regulatory framework have been put in place, as well as an upward review of penalty for gas flare.

“In order to ensure balance, fairness, transparency and coordination in the implementation of projects in the region, this administration came up with the ”, he added.

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Iyamu also listed other interventions of this government in line with the New Vision to include increased budgetary allocations to key agencies of the region like the the NDDC, Presidential Amnesty programme and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

Giving an overview on the SIWP, the Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Charles Achodo, said that an analysis of the 16-point Agenda presented by the PANDEF to the Presidency categorized the demands into three broad areas.

"These were political, which focused on the issue of resource control; security, tied to the issues about how to secure the region; and developmental, dealing with environmental degradation, modular refineries and infrastructure."

Achodo said that government responded to the PANDEF 16-Point Agenda by formulating its 20-Point Agenda, bringing out specific activities and targeting particular goals for the Niger Delta.

He said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s engagements with stakeholders and community leaders during his tours of the Niger Delta Region last year yielded positive results.

According to Achodo, work on the SIWP has shown that there were several agencies working in the region without any result, requiring that a different approach be used in tackling the challenges in the Niger Delta.

In her presentation, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Infrastructure, Imeh Okon, said the key to what government was doing in the Niger Delta was to complete all abandoned projects in the region.

She said government was working to ensure that all projects with strategic developmental impact were completed.

Each session had robust engagements that participants said would further boost the implementation of key initiatives under the New Vision for the Niger Delta region.

The Special Assistant to the President Communication Projects/Niger Delta, Arukaino Umukoro, in his presentation on the Niger Delta New Vision website urged participants to visit the website for information on the activities on the region.

Participants at the workshop were drawn from the media, government agencies and civil society organizations, where there were breakout sessions for the media, and MDAs and CSOs, which focused specifically on their roles and contributions to the region’s development and nation building.

Facilitators at the workshop include; the Special Assistant to the President on Digital & New Media, and Head of the Presidency Office of Digital Engagement (PODE), Tolu Ogunlesi; the Executive Director of We the People- Centre for Social Studies and Development, Ken Henshaw; the Head of Media & Campaigns, Environmental Rights Action (ERA) /Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Philip Jakpor and ICT specialist, Dayo Ibitoye.