The Federal Government has said that huge efforts were being exerted to ensure that violence and restiveness in the oil producing areas of the country remained a thing of the past.
Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, who disclosed this at the NESH 2017 Oil and Gas Roundtable: Peace and Sustainable Development of Nigeria Oil and Gas Producing Area, held in Asaba said one of the ambitious targets in tackling the prevailing concern of Niger Delta was a frame work for stability.
Profofessor Osibanjo, represented by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachichwu, said the government was committed to ensuring robust sustainable development in the region thereby fostering peace and prosperity on the nation.
According to him, aside from creating employment in Niger Delta through modular refinery initiative, the federal government had engaged numerous entrepreneurs, international and local investors to partake in such initiatives.
The concept of the modular refinery, the Vice President noted, stemmed from the need to stop illegal refining known to contribute substantially to the damage of the environment of oil and gas producing areas.
“Moreover, the boomerang resulting from such destruction extends into all aspects of the communities living in the region.
“A polluted environment disallows for favourable investments thereby hindering employment generation and enabling environment for social vices to develop”, he said.
Founder of Nigeria and Entrepreneurship Summit and Honors (NESH), Mr. Emeka Ugwu-Oju, in his remarks, said with the 2040 deadline for migrating from fossil fuels to alternative sources of power for vehicle lurking dangerously close, it was perfectly understandable that there was somewhat a growing anxiety that Nigeria could be in for a major crisis.
Mr Emeka Ugwu-Oju said, government at all levels were taking steps to diversify their economies aways from oil dependency.
According to him, while the strategy for diversification remained first charge policy preoccupation, of no less significance was safeguarding the oil production environment while articulating a clear post oil development roadmap for the oil and gas producing region of the country.
The NESH founder argued that in spite of heavy contributions of Niger Delta to the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) as well as the huge revenues accruing ever since, the area remained impoverished, ecologically devastated, under developed while militant agitation by the youths continued to disrupt production activities leading to heavy revenue losses by the government.
Highlight of the programme was a peace honour to 14 distinguished Nigerians including Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retired),National security adviser; Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state; Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State Petroleum Resources; Senator Heneken Lokpobiri; Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh(retired), special advicer to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Amnesty Programme and HRM King Alfred Dite-Spiff.
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