Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
Stakeholders across the nine states of the Niger Delta have urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to develop new approach for the Niger Delta Development Commission to incorporate ‘infrastructure development’ and youths empowerment in the region.
The stakeholders made up of civil society groups, youth activists, politicians and traditional rulers, noted that there were crunching cases of hunger, unemployment and criminality in the region.
They noted that instead of the purported Presidential directive to the NDDC against the training and empowerment of youths in the region, the suggested ‘stomach infrastructure’ approach would allow human capacity development to mitigate the people’s sufferings.
The stakeholders, after a one-day deliberation on the way forward for the region, chaired by lawyer and rights activist, Onyema Omenuwa, Esq., said the suggested approach was further assisted by the recent Bloomberg publication on March 26, 2021 on the poverty status in the region and need for government’s assistance.
The stakeholders, therefore, urged the Federal Government to embark on youths entrepreneurship and empowerment initiatives such as small-scale retailing, crop and animal farming, artisanship, information and communication technology.
They also recommended other technological training that would significantly engage youths for productive developmental activities that could translate into poverty reduction and productivity growth.
They said: “As stakeholders in the events leading to the establishment of the NDDC, we know the pains, bloodshed, sacrifices and tortuous journey which led to the peace resolutions that brought about the establishment of the various intervention agencies particularly the NDDC.
“Youths unemployment is a major development challenge with implications for conflict in the Niger Delta. The oil producing states of the Niger Delta region have some of the highest levels of youths unemployment in Nigeria. For example, there is about 38.4% in Bayelsa and 27.9% in Rivers, compared to the national average of 21.1%. Like other parts of the world, youths unemployment in the Niger Delta is driven by demographic, educational and economic factors.
“Two-thirds of the population of the Niger Delta is below the age of 30. With pervasive poverty and unemployment in the region, many youths have resorted to crimes such as armed robbery, oil bunkering, prostitution and hostage taking for ransom.
“The persistent tension in the region further encourages more youths to prefer quick gains from crimes and conflict over longer term gains of returns on investment. Youth restiveness and persistent conflict in the Niger Delta hurt both the national economy and the local people.”
They regretted that the global coronavirus pandemic and lockdown further placed millions of people across the region in poverty.
The stakeholders urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the supervising minister of the NDDC, Godswill Akpabio, to ensure that the NDDC urgently embark on human capacity development in order to reduce the people’s sufferings, unemployment and youths involvement in criminality.
They, however, commended the President and Akpabio for the recent inauguration of the NDDC’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 25 years after the groundbreaking ceremony.