The minister of niger delta affairs, Mr Umana Okon Umana, has called for the concerted efforts of all agencies involved in the development of the Niger Delta region to end the menace of oil theft and pipeline vandalisation in the region. Umana, who made the call when the interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for the Niger Delta region, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), paid him a courtesy call in Abuja, said such a joint salvage action was required because oil theft and pipeline vandalisation were undermining the peace and security of the nation.
“Those of us in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the NDDC and other stakeholders, including community leaders, should work together to address the burning issue in our region, which is the issue of oil theft and pipeline vandalisation,” Umana said.
“I don’t see how the Presidential Amnesty Programme can ignore something that serious, because it undermines, not only the stability of the region but also the peace and security of the nation.
“I would like all of us to sit down and come up with a solution to this problem. I challenge all of us to work together to assist the Federal Government to solve the problem,” he added.
Umana also said the different intervention plans by both the ministry and the NDDC are being looked at with a view to consolidating them into one blueprint for holistic and more effective development of the region.
In calling for a joint action against oil theft and pipeline vandalisation in the region, the minister said the interim administrator of the Amnesty Programme was right in arguing that the region would have been better off if the various agencies charged with developing the Niger Delta had worked in one accord.
The minister, however, offered to work with Dikio, the interim administrator of the Amnesty Programme, to achieve the objectives of its recovery plan, especially in the area of training.
Dikio had earlier informed the minister that the leadership of the Presidential Amnesty Programme was visiting to congratulate him on his appointment and to seek areas of support and collaboration.
He said it was time all the agencies established for the improvement of the region began to work together for optimal impact.
The interim administrator identified infrastructure development as the key element in efforts to guarantee peace and stability in the Niger Delta region. He added that the Amnesty Programme has developed a strategy for weaning youths in the region from deviancy and militancy through an orientation plan that targets youths from the age of 13 years.
Dikko said the youth reorientation project was part of the stabilisation plan that would create the right atmosphere for development partners to engage with and assist the region in its quest for development.
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