Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja
The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig- Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), has advised the region to grab the federal government’s offer to treat the area as a special economic zone as well as its template for peace with both hands.
Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had last Monday visited the region where he unveiled the peace and development offers by the federal government to the area.
Reviewing the outcome of the visit, Boroh described it as a lifetime opportunity to the region, also alluding to the recognition of the environmental challenges of the Niger Delta by the President Muhammadu Buhari government.
He said the government’s acceptance of the 16-Point Demand of the Pan-Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) as an important working document for the resolution of the Niger Delta issue and the region’s development were significant concessions which PANDEF and other groups in the region should embrace.
In a statement issued by the
Media and Communication Consultant, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Owei Lakemfa, Boroh commended Buhari for his directive that everything is possible should be done for the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU) to take off in the next academic year.
“He urged all concerned in ensuring this to get to work immediately, and appealed to the National Assembly to pass the NMU Bill timeously to meet the scheduled time table,” Boron who is also the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, said.
He expressed happiness at what he described as the very warm reception accorded the vice president and his delegation by the Niger Delta people and urged all who pledged to work for peace in the region to keep to their pledge which was made willingly before the country.
Boron said a take away from the Vice President’s visit was that people can agitate and win without resort to violence, adding that the elders, leaders, traditional leaders and youths in the Niger Delta have a duty to work for a climate of peace in order to ensure development.
He also called on the oil companies to go beyond tokenism and invest in the environment, human capacity and infrastructure to ensure a win-win outcome as a confidence-building measure in the region.
