Senate President Godswill Akpabio and youth leaders across the Niger Delta have declared the region a protest-free zone.
Akpabio also launched an Internship Scheme initiated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for 10,000 youths of the Niger Delta region.
Akpabio and the leaders spoke during the NDDC Executive Management Engagement with Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities and Selected Stakeholders in Port Harcourt.
The Senate President declared that the proposed nationwide protests by some youths would not take place in the nine states of the Niger Delta.
He gave details of the youth internship scheme, Akpabio 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 insisted 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.
He said: “Give Tinubu a chance to deliver on his policies and some people ask how long and I tell them even if you have to take all the time it took you to get to this point.
“Actions are being taken by the government to do everything possible to meet the needs of the people because we recognise the difficult times.
“So, as the Senate president I want to appeal to all Nigerian Youths to give this administration an opportunity for most of the policies to mature.
“So the whispers of our nation is already receiving attention. The economic challenges are known to the president because all of us feel the impact of what is happening now.
“We acknowledged the fact that the impact of oil and gas activities in our region have done immeasurable damage to our community it reshaped our lives, our economy and environment, so we must expedite actions to address those concomitant socio-economic issue that has arisen as a consequence.
“Be rest assured that the Tinubu administration will release the necessary funds for critical projects in the Niger Delta region. I will ensure that the needs of our people and dreams are realised.”
NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said 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 described the empowerment initiatives as revolutionary saying it was designed to uplift the youth and women of the Niger Delta region
Ogbuku revealed that the federal government, under the leadership of President Tinubu, approved the new scheme.
“This unprecedented move demonstrates the government’s empathy and commitment to supporting the most vulnerable populations during economic challenges”, he said.
The NDDC CEO emphasised that the initiative was a testament to the government’s human face and willingness to listen to the needs of its citizens.
He said: “This landmark scheme has the potential to transform the lives of thousands of young people in the Niger Delta, providing them with a financial safety net and empowering them to build a brighter future.”
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 status.
Ogbuku said that the NDDC was working with the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce in the training of youths and young entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta region.
He explained that the Commission would collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce to support Small and Medium Enterprises in the region and ensure the sustainability of youth development programmes.
He said: “We will also partner with the Bank of Industry to fund projects and support businesses and facilitate the success of our empowerment programmes. We will provide all the necessary support for youth entrepreneurship schemes.”
Ogbuku urged Niger Deltans not to be lured into any protest that would destabilise the country, as such action was bound to hinder development and further impoverish the ordinary people.
In his remarks, The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro, has described President Bola Tinubu as a youth-friendly president.
He urged the people of Niger Delta to own the administration of Tinubu because of his youth-friendliness and love for the region.
According to him, the president’s favourable disposition was the reason he appointed him as the PAP Administrator and Samuel Ogbuku as the Managing Director of the NDDC, among others.
Otuaro enjoined the people to be patient with Tinubu as he had initiated reforms under his Renewed Hope Agenda to revamp Nigeria’s economy and also fast-track development in the Niger Delta.
He reiterated his call for the sustenance of peace and security in the Niger Delta and urged youths to shun the proposed national protests on August 1, saying they should not allow any group of persons to force them to go back to the old ways.
Otuaro noted that the President was supporting the Programme tremendously to achieve its mandate for the region.
He said in line with this, the PAP had designed a scheme to empower more than 1,000 youths that had been engaged this year.
He stated that under the education policy of the programme, the Office would increase the number of scholarship beneficiaries to accommodate 500 Niger Delta students to study in universities.
Otuaro also disclosed that the PAP prioritizes women in its stakeholders policy, adding that the Office would in the nearest future hold a women summit to interface with the region’s female folk.
He commended the NDDC for organising the sensitization meeting, and pledged PAP’s readiness to partner with the interventionist agency.
He said, “The government of President Bola Tinubu is a youth-friendly government, and he really loves the Niger Delta. I was at the NDDC before he appointed me to head the Presidential Amnesty Programme Office. And Samuel Ogbuku is the Managing Director of the NDDC.
“Therefore, it is time for us to own the administration of Tinubu. Let us not join the protests. We need to be patient with him for his reforms to materialize. Nobody should make us to go back to the old ways.
“This year in the PAP, we have a programme to empower over 1000 of our youths. In education, we are going to expand scholarship to 500 beneficiaries of the PAP scholarship scheme.
“For our women, they are our priority. We have had stakeholders meeting with ex-agitators, we are also going to hold another meeting involving women only. In that meeting, our women will articulate their issues. I will not impose anything on our women. The meeting will cut across the Niger Delta. We will partner with the NDDC, we already have the manpower.”
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, assured that the Commission would continue to focus on completing capital projects that would add value to the Niger Delta region.
He said: “Our commitment is to work towards transforming the region, in line with the 8-Point Presidential Priorities, as well as in accordance with the demands of the NDDC Act of 2000.”
He thanked members of the National Assembly for expeditiously passing the 2024 budget of the Commission which would set the tone for the implementation of projects and programmes that would benefit the people of the Niger Delta region.
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.
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.
Speaking in the same vein, the National Chairman of PANDEF, Senator Emmanuel Ibok-Essien, acknowledged the numerous achievements of the NDDC and appealed to Niger Delta youths to disregard those calling for protests.
The President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Ambassador Jonathan Lopkobiri, 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.
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