THE Minister of Nigeria Delta Affair, Pastor Usani Uguru has explained that the choice of Ondo state to host the Second National Council on Niger Delta was borne out of strategic reason.
The Minister said that Ondo state which has not been seen by many as a Niger Delta state, has some laundry down economic roadmap which has similarities with the plans of the federal government.
Addressing Journalists in Abuja, Pastor Uguru commended the government of Ondo state for showing commitment in respect of the Second Council on Niger Delta.
According to him “I want to express my appreciation on the role the Ondo state government is playing and the commitment they are showing in respect of the second Niger Delta Council which they have accepted to host.
“We have chosen Ondo state on a strategic reason, most of the time, it is presumed unconsciously that when we talk about Niger Delta, people refer to south south states and we tend to forget that there are states outside the south south that are part of the Niger Delta region.
“Again we understand the peculiarities of Ondo state in terms of the resource base which we are determined to tap into and see how the society can benefit from it.
“The government of Ondo state has shown pro activity that is unparalleled in respect of the programmes of the government, vis-a-vis having consistent rolling of that programme with the Economic Recovery Growth Plan.
“The Ondo state government is the first state that have prepared an independent programme to match into our initiative which are anchored in the presidency to revive ailing industries or moribund ones as well as promote the agriculture chain to the point of heading towards exportation.
Speaking further, the Minister said “after about 9 years of the establishment of this ministry, this is the second council that is being held which is supposed to be an annual event.
“In this second National council on Nigeria Delta, we are not just going to talk and return, we are deriving from the outcome of the first council, linking them up with our current activities and programmes as well, considering other programmes like empowerment agriculture and artisans, entrepreneurs to be able to fit them into the Economic Recovery Growth Plan.
“Whatever we do will not be isolated, we want to be sure that the sovereign economy which is actually the overall consideration is satisfied with what we are doing”.
In his remarks, the Deputy Governor of Ondo State Barrister Bola Ajayi, assured the federal government of the readiness of the state to host the National Council on Niger Delta.
He also assured prospective participants of their security, noting that appropriate security measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of participants.