Written by Donald Ojogo, Regional. Saturday, 22 September 20, 2012
Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Office, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, has described the current prevailing peace in the Niger Delta as ‘fragile’, warning that the region’s peace may relapse to another brand of restiveness, unless relevant developmental agencies intensify efforts to change the face of the nation’s oil rich belt. Kuku spoke at the public presentation of his book, “Remaking The Niger Delta: Challenges and Opportunities” in Lagos on Friday, as President Goodluck Jonathan expressed optimism that the region’s developmental challenges would soon be over, saying, “serious efforts are on” in that regard. According to the Presidential Aide, the relative peace in the Niger Delta needed to be sustained through a synergy of efforts in order to avoid a situation where the Presidential Amnesty Office would be over stretched, averring that his office is not an infrastructure-focused body. “Today, as we savour the benefits of the amnesty proclamation and its attendant derivatives after disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, the nation has gone ahead in terms of oil production quota from a disturbing 700,000 barrels per day in the pre-proclamation era to an enviable figure of almost 3 million barrels per day. “Crucially, the post amnesty programme merely gives relevant agencies such as the multinational oil companies, states, local governments, NDDC as well as the Ministry of Niger Delta the rare opportunity to commence immediate developmental efforts in order to avoid future agitations that may take an entirely different dimension. “This is very crucial because, unlike before, when there were no trained employable technicians of Niger Delta origin, we now have eminently qualified ones, who can favourably compete with their counterparts all over the world,” he said.
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