(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Niger-Delta-Story-Pic-300x192.jpg) N'Delta: FG plans 5,000 SMEs, urges youths and communities to allow completion of projects
The current 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil production realized in the Niger Delta region, from the Pre- Amnesty level of about 700,000 bpd has been attributed to Federal Government's significant intervention through routinely organized security and consultative meetings to sustain the peace and security in the region.
Though youth restiveness and insecurity in the region have abated, intermittent disruption of projects by the youths and excessive demands on contractors by communities and individuals coupled with incidences of kidnapping still constitute serious problems and often times leading to work stoppages.
Delivering his presentation on the Mid-Term Achievements of the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration in the Niger Delta Region, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe emphasized that no meaningful development is achievable in an atmosphere void of peace and security. "We can't be talking about development when we are disturbing those we have invited to develop the Niger Delta", Orubebe insisted.
The Minister had explained that the terrain in most parts of the region makes infrastructural development a difficult task. He pointed out that high costs of projects and technology required for infrastructure projects as a result of the terrain equally constitute a serious challenge.
According to Orubebe, the Federal Government has initiated and begun implementing Niger Delta Action Plan in partnership with development partners to address the developmental challenges of the region. The Niger Delta Minister informed that the development blue print is premised on three pillars namely Infrastructure Investment Programme; Social Sector Investment programme; and an Institutional Capacity Development and Multi-Stakeholder Trust Fund.
Shedding more light on the three components of the Action Plan, Elder Orubebe said the Infrastructure Investment Programme "emphasizes investment in large-scale infrastructure development such as urban and new town development, coastal and inland water ways construction, water transportation; dredging and environmental remediation".
On the Social Sector Investment Programme, the Minister said it focuses" on community-based programmes with emphasis on agriculture, health and sanitation, education, employment creation, small and medium enterprises and skills training, conflict resolution and community security stabilization measures and while the Institutional Capacity Development and Multi-Stakeholder Trust Fund supports capacity development for project implementation and resource mobilization. It also defines the governance structure for development partnership and the financial mechanism and resource mobilization for Programme implementation.
He noted that the National Council on Niger Delta inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan on the 26th of April, 2013 approved the Action Plan for implementation.
On the achievements recorded by the Ministry of Niger Delta within the period under review, Elder Orubebe said the Ministry has trained over 706 non-militant youths across the 9 Niger Delta States to acquire skills in various sectors of the economy noting that some of the trainees are now gainfully employed.
The Ministry is also building 9 Skills Acquisition Centres, one in each state of the region. The Skills Acquisition Centres are designed to train youths to acquire skills to enable them work in various sectors of the economy, in particular, Oil and Gas, Commerce, Tourism, Agriculture, ICT, Construction and Maritime. According to him, four of the Centres will be completed to commence operation this year.
A major initiative of his Ministry is the establishment of Industrial Parks in the Niger Delta region. Orubebe explained that the Industrial Parks which will consist of 5,000 Small and Meduim Enterprises (SMEs) to manufacture and produce goods and services in over 100 different sectors and areas of the economy and modeled after a similar one in Ankara, Turkey.
"The Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ostim of Turkey for the establishment of Industrial Parks in the Niger Delta region. The technical work on the project has commenced and some States in the region have indicated interest", disclosed the Minister.
Still on youth employment and empowerment, the Niger Delta Minister said the work on the Dualization of the East-West Road; Remediation, Reclamation and Rehabilitation work; Construction of Skills Acquisition Centres; and Building of Housing Units by the Ministry in the 9 States of the Niger Delta have created jobs for over 9,000 people in the region.
Other achievements highlighted by Elder Orubebe include Reconstruction of the 35.15km Owerri-Elele Road linking Imo and Rivers States, Reconstruction of the 25 Kilometers, Benin Abraka Road linking Edo and Delta States.
More road projects embarked upon by the Ministry include the construction of 12 other roads spread across the 9 States. The roads which are at various levels of completion are: Owerri – Omerelu Road, 34.14km in Imo/Rivers States 48.10%, Port Harcourt/Aba Expressway – Obehia – Azumini – Ukanafun Road, 50Km in Abia/ Akwa Ibom States, Sections I &II – 34.98%.
Also listed are the Construction of 35Km Okputuite-Mbato Junction – Orie Market – Lomara (Igwebuike) Road in Abia State – 14.48%; Construction of 18km Ogriagbene-Torugbene Road in Delta State(Phase 1 & II) 26.03%; Re-construction of 25km Benin – Abraka Road in Edo State, Phase I – 46.09%; Construction of 18.5km Orhorho Junction – Odurobu – Kpakiama -Bomadi Road in Delta State, Phase I – 29.40%; Construction of 6.1km Omelema – Agada II Road in Rivers State, Phase I – 8.20%; Rehabilitation of 17.475km Okpuala-Igwurunta Road, Phase I – 39.99%; Construction of 31km Alode-Onne (Oil & Gas Free Zone) – Afam-Oyigbo-Imo River Bridge (Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway) – 9.44%; and Construction of 1.819km Emakalakala – Akipelai Road in Bayelsa State 12.77% among others.
The Minister also said his Ministry is constructing 360 Housing Units of 40 units of 2 and 3 Bedroom Bungalows in each of the 9 states which he said have reached about 65% completion. "Some of the housing units will be commissioned and allocated to the beneficiaries before the end of this year", Orubebe informed.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku in his remarks noted that "in the last couple of years particularly in this democratic dispensation, we have focused attention on redressing decades of injustices in the Niger Delta and that was why this Ministry was set up.
He added that a lot of progress has been recorded recently on the construction of the East-West road being handled by the Niger Delta Ministry as well as the number of skills acquisition centres in the region.
"Part of the problems that we had in the Niger Delta was that because of the highly technical nature of the oil industry, majority of the youths in the region were never integrated into the oil sector and it can't be so", Mr. Maku stressed.
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The current 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil production realized in the Niger Delta region, from the Pre- Amnesty level of about 700,000 bpd has been attributed to Federal Government's significant intervention through routinely organized security and consultative meetings to sustain the peace and security in the region.
Though youth restiveness and insecurity in the region have abated, intermittent disruption of projects by the youths and excessive demands on contractors by communities and individuals coupled with incidences of kidnapping still constitute serious problems and often times leading to work stoppages.
Delivering his presentation on the Mid-Term Achievements of the President Goodluck Jonathan Administration in the Niger Delta Region, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe emphasized that no meaningful development is achievable in an atmosphere void of peace and security. "We can't be talking about development when we are disturbing those we have invited to develop the Niger Delta", Orubebe insisted.
The Minister had explained that the terrain in most parts of the region makes infrastructural development a difficult task. He pointed out that high costs of projects and technology required for infrastructure projects as a result of the terrain equally constitute a serious challenge.
According to Orubebe, the Federal Government has initiated and begun implementing Niger Delta Action Plan in partnership with development partners to address the developmental challenges of the region. The Niger Delta Minister informed that the development blue print is premised on three pillars namely Infrastructure Investment Programme; Social Sector Investment programme; and an Institutional Capacity Development and Multi-Stakeholder Trust Fund.
Shedding more light on the three components of the Action Plan, Elder Orubebe said the Infrastructure Investment Programme "emphasizes investment in large-scale infrastructure development such as urban and new town development, coastal and inland water ways construction, water transportation; dredging and environmental remediation".
On the Social Sector Investment Programme, the Minister said it focuses" on community-based programmes with emphasis on agriculture, health and sanitation, education, employment creation, small and medium enterprises and skills training, conflict resolution and community security stabilization measures and while the Institutional Capacity Development and Multi-Stakeholder Trust Fund supports capacity development for project implementation and resource mobilization. It also defines the governance structure for development partnership and the financial mechanism and resource mobilization for Programme implementation.
He noted that the National Council on Niger Delta inaugurated by President Goodluck Jonathan on the 26th of April, 2013 approved the Action Plan for implementation.
On the achievements recorded by the Ministry of Niger Delta within the period under review, Elder Orubebe said the Ministry has trained over 706 non-militant youths across the 9 Niger Delta States to acquire skills in various sectors of the economy noting that some of the trainees are now gainfully employed.
The Ministry is also building 9 Skills Acquisition Centres, one in each state of the region. The Skills Acquisition Centres are designed to train youths to acquire skills to enable them work in various sectors of the economy, in particular, Oil and Gas, Commerce, Tourism, Agriculture, ICT, Construction and Maritime. According to him, four of the Centres will be completed to commence operation this year.
A major initiative of his Ministry is the establishment of Industrial Parks in the Niger Delta region. Orubebe explained that the Industrial Parks which will consist of 5,000 Small and Meduim Enterprises (SMEs) to manufacture and produce goods and services in over 100 different sectors and areas of the economy and modeled after a similar one in Ankara, Turkey.
"The Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ostim of Turkey for the establishment of Industrial Parks in the Niger Delta region. The technical work on the project has commenced and some States in the region have indicated interest", disclosed the Minister.
Still on youth employment and empowerment, the Niger Delta Minister said the work on the Dualization of the East-West Road; Remediation, Reclamation and Rehabilitation work; Construction of Skills Acquisition Centres; and Building of Housing Units by the Ministry in the 9 States of the Niger Delta have created jobs for over 9,000 people in the region.
Other achievements highlighted by Elder Orubebe include Reconstruction of the 35.15km Owerri-Elele Road linking Imo and Rivers States, Reconstruction of the 25 Kilometers, Benin Abraka Road linking Edo and Delta States.
More road projects embarked upon by the Ministry include the construction of 12 other roads spread across the 9 States. The roads which are at various levels of completion are: Owerri – Omerelu Road, 34.14km in Imo/Rivers States 48.10%, Port Harcourt/Aba Expressway – Obehia – Azumini – Ukanafun Road, 50Km in Abia/ Akwa Ibom States, Sections I &II – 34.98%.
Also listed are the Construction of 35Km Okputuite-Mbato Junction – Orie Market – Lomara (Igwebuike) Road in Abia State – 14.48%; Construction of 18km Ogriagbene-Torugbene Road in Delta State(Phase 1 & II) 26.03%; Re-construction of 25km Benin – Abraka Road in Edo State, Phase I – 46.09%; Construction of 18.5km Orhorho Junction – Odurobu – Kpakiama -Bomadi Road in Delta State, Phase I – 29.40%; Construction of 6.1km Omelema – Agada II Road in Rivers State, Phase I – 8.20%; Rehabilitation of 17.475km Okpuala-Igwurunta Road, Phase I – 39.99%; Construction of 31km Alode-Onne (Oil & Gas Free Zone) – Afam-Oyigbo-Imo River Bridge (Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway) – 9.44%; and Construction of 1.819km Emakalakala – Akipelai Road in Bayelsa State 12.77% among others.
The Minister also said his Ministry is constructing 360 Housing Units of 40 units of 2 and 3 Bedroom Bungalows in each of the 9 states which he said have reached about 65% completion. "Some of the housing units will be commissioned and allocated to the beneficiaries before the end of this year", Orubebe informed.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku in his remarks noted that "in the last couple of years particularly in this democratic dispensation, we have focused attention on redressing decades of injustices in the Niger Delta and that was why this Ministry was set up.
He added that a lot of progress has been recorded recently on the construction of the East-West road being handled by the Niger Delta Ministry as well as the number of skills acquisition centres in the region.
"Part of the problems that we had in the Niger Delta was that because of the highly technical nature of the oil industry, majority of the youths in the region were never integrated into the oil sector and it can't be so", Mr. Maku stressed.
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria