Sylvester Idowu in Warri
The federal government has sought the collaboration of traditional rulers in the Niger Delta region to achieve sustainable peace and security in the region.
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Abubakar Momoh, made the request yesterday, when he led a delegation of the ministry on a visit to the Palace of Maj-Gen. Felix Mujakperuo (Rtd), Orhue I, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom.
Momoh, while addressing the forum of the Delta Traditional Rulers Council at the Palace, said the Niger Delta was vital to the economic potential of the country, noting that Delta was the seventh state the delegation had visited in delivering the message of President Bola Tinubu across the Niger Delta region.
He said the present administration held the traditional rulers at very high esteem, describing them as being the custodians of peace in every community.
He noted that the government was aware that the Niger Delta was a very volatile region and that for the country to maximise her economic potential, Niger Delta must be peaceful.
“Peace and security are amongst the topmost priorities of Mr President as contained in his policy mission. For us to have peace and security, there is no doubt that the traditional rulers and the governors of the states will be highly involved and that is why we are here.
“We started from the office of the governor of the state, because when you are talking of physical stakeholders in any region, you should talk of the governor of the state and you know that the traditional rulers are the next in terms of hierarchy,” he said.
The minister acknowledged the challenges of failed federal roads across the Niger Delta region in particular, the East-West Road ,adding that the road should be extended to Benin City from the Warri axis and Uyo-Calabar from the Port Harcourt axis.
“The Ologbo Road from the Benin axis is cut off completely and so many other roads in the region,” he noted, even as he promised to interface with his colleague in the Federal Ministry of Works with a view to fashioning out how best the roads could be constructed in a very short time to alleviate the suffering of the people.
