The Delta State Information Commissioner, Chike Ogeah, has lauded the initiative of the Niger Delta Legacy Engagement of using Niger Deltans to tell their own stories through a television reality show, describing it as timely.
Mr Ogeah gave this commendation during a courtesy visit by members of the group to his office in Asaba.
The Commissioner, who described the Niger Delta as a pool of talent, said that they are a people who shun violence but rather seek avenues to express their talents.
He said there was the need to partner with the group through the media to see how talents especially of the youths would be further developed.
Mr Ogeah urged the group to also use the reality TV show titled: “Dawn in the Creeks” to show the level of pollution and the general degradation so as to really capture the state of the Niger Delta region and how these activities have affected their normal lives of farming and fishing including other aspects of their lives.
He expressed happiness on the fact that even the International Community which the group represents understands the fact that the Niger Delta is not synonymous with violence and urged the group to do its best through the empowerment aspect of the project through training of the people especially the youths noting that telling the story of the Niger Delta has been an integral part of the people.
Earlier in her speech, the anchor person of the “Dawn in the Creek” project in the region, Julia Nelson, from the U.S Consulate in Lagos said the group actually came to seek some levels of partnership with the Ministry explaining that their objective was to promote the ideal messages of non-violence in the Niger Delta especially as the nation approaches the 2015 general elections.
She said their study of Niger Delta reveals that the people want a non-violent future, a future of progress and development opportunities.
Julia Nelson noted that the idea was aimed at also partnering with local initiative to see how they can support them during and after the elections in 2015.
She said that the high quality production is being worked out with some movie icons as Jetta Amata including others.
Delta State Government Press Release
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