FG to implement Niger Delta Master Plan – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the Federal
Government is focused on implementation of Niger Delta
Master Plan to drive development of the region.
Osinbajo stated this at the inaugural meeting of Partners
for Sustainable Development Forum organised by Niger
Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in Port Harcourt
on Monday.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari had also
expressed concern with current degradation of the
environment with a view to addressing challenges faced
by the region.

“Niger Delta remains a priority of the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government with a view to
attending to current devastation and environmental
degradation in the region.

“The federal government will give NDDC all necessary
assistance and support to achieve its mandate of
ensuring rapid and sustainable development of the
region.

“For meaningful and sustainable development to take
place in the region, citizens and stakeholders must be
peaceful while curbing militancy and eliminating
terrorism,” he said.
Represented by Mr Adeola Ipaye, the Deputy Chief of
Staff in the Presidency, Osinbajo added that Niger Delta,
being the world’s third largest wetland, had immense
potential to become an agriculture hub.
He said the nation’s over-dependence on crude oil was
partly responsible for “redundant human resource base
and high level of corruption.”

According to him, there has to be a major shift from
dependence on oil to agricultural production which will
assist job creation and encourage development of the
manufacturing sector.
The Vice President assured that ongoing clean up of
several years of un-addressed oil pollution in Ogoni area
of Rivers and other communities in the region would be
completed.

Managing Director of NDDC, Mr. Bassey Dan-Abia said
poor funding was a major challenge facing the
commission.
He explained that the commission was an intervention
agency, not an alternate government, as widely held by
some people.
“Youths should reduce the level of restiveness because
NDDC does not have the capacity to solve all their
problems.
“Restiveness and tension caused by some youths in the
region clearly have direct negative impact on the
development of the region”, he said.
Dan-Abia called on the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas
Company (NLNG) to commence payment of its own
contribution to funding of the commission.
According to him, this is based on the fact that NLNG
falls within the oil and gas producing companies within
the Niger Delta.