Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio and other leaders in Portharcourt on Tuesday
The Niger Delta Youths have assured President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, that they will not join the planned protest, adding that this government is theirs.
Akpabio got the assurance of the Youths while launching a Youth Internship Scheme initiated by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for 10,000 youths of the Niger Delta region.
Akpabio, who spoke during the NDDC Executive Management Engagement with Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities and Selected Stakeholders in Port Harcourt, declared that the proposed nation-wide protests by some youths would not take place in the nine states of the Niger Delta, describing the region as a protest-free zone.
Giving details of the Youth Internship Scheme, the Senate President said that the 10,000 youths would be engaged in the programme designed to improve their skills, noting that the beneficiaries in the first phase would be paid N50, 000 naira monthly.
Akpabio stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was committed to the development of the Niger Delta region. He noted that following a Presidential directive, the NDDC recently inaugurated five flagship projects covering roads, bridges and electricity, across the region.
He commended the NDDC for restoring some damaged sections of the East-West Road and assured that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project would not only commence from Lagos but would also start simultaneously from the Niger Delta.
Akpabio said that despite the challenges of developing the Niger Delta region, the NDDC had executed several projects that had improved the lives of the people, promising that henceforth, the Commission would be getting its full share of its statutory allocations.
Also speaking, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, remarked that the people of the Niger Delta region had since transited from militant agitation to intellectual struggle, noting that the region was now reaping the benefits of the struggles.
He said: “We have given more opportunities and hope to Niger Delta youths through our Holistic Opportunity Projects of Engagement, HOPE, meant to identify interests of the youths for skills training.
The NDDC boss said that the Project HOPE had helped the Commission to develop a comprehensive digital repository, comprising important information about the youths of the Niger Delta region; including their qualifications, skills, interests, needs, and current employment.
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In his goodwill message, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, emphasised that it was only in unity and peace that progress could be achieved. He lauded the Board and Management of the NDDC for working hands in gloves to develop the Niger Delta region.
The President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Ambassador Jonathan Lokpobiri, maintained that Niger Deltans had no business with those who were inciting youths to anarchy. He observed that demands of the protesters said nothing about the long-neglected East-West Road.
He commended the NDDC for providing a temporary reprieve for the users of the road, which he noted was still being threatened by flooding.
At the end of the conference, participants unanimously dissociated themselves from the planned protests against the President Bola Tinubu- led federal administration, but resolved to continually give their unalloyed support for the continued peace and development of the Nigeria and the Niger Delta region in particular.
In attendance were, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Asuquo Ekpeyong, Chairman Senate Committee on Petroleum Upstream, Eteng Williams, Chairman NDDC, Mr Chiedu Ebie, Managing Director, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, Executive Director Projects NDDC, Victor Antai and Deputy Chief of Staff to the President of the Senate, Dr Saviour Enyiekere, among numerous stakeholders from the oil producing zone.
