Stakeholders who participated in a one-day regional Peace-Building Strategy Implementation Town Hall Meeting in the Niger Delta region have identified infrastructural deficit as the reason behind the constant crisis experienced in the region.
The stakeholders made the above statement in Umuahia, the Abia State capital during the town hall meeting organised by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND).
Drawn from the traditional institution, youth/women organizations, civil society organisations and heads of security agents, among others, in Abia, the stakeholders opined that a lasting peace can be achieved in the region if the government takes proactive steps to improve infrastructural deficit in the area.
Dr Mrs Nnenna Chikezie, the Permanent Secretary and Executive Secretary Abia State Planning Commission who was one of the participants, described the town hall meeting as apt, pointing out that the germane inputs made would help to address development issues in the oil-producing communities among others.
The Chairman of Abia State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Eze Joseph Nwabekee and the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Apostle Emmanuel Agomoh unanimously called for serious attention to be paid to oil-producing communities in Abia and the region in general.
They said that such serious attention is needed in terms of road projects and employment opportunities among other corporate social responsibilities by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to enhance peace and development in the communities and states.
Also making their submissions, Abia State Director of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Lady Chibuogwu Edede, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Victor Ndukwe said that proper implementation of programmes that meet the yearnings of the people in the “oil-producing region” will not only enhance development but will also bring about a lasting peace in the area.
A consultant with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Vincent Ugo said that the stakeholders’ town hall meeting was put in place to elicit information on the needs of the people to work on them to enhance peace and stability in the Nine States in the Niger Delta.
Ugo noted that the Ministry of Niger Delta is taking an approach to ensure that the people are carried along in terms of projects and programmes in the oil communities.
The programme facilitator of PIND, Chioma Delphin, said that PIND is a non-profit making organization that promotes peace and equitable economic growth in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region through multi-stakeholder partnerships.
She revealed that PIND achieves its aim through Economic Development, and Peacebuilding Programme as well as other support units like the Advocacy Program.
“Specifically, our peacebuilding programme is aimed at achieving the greater goal of regional and lasting peace in the Niger Delta through creating sustainable peace partnerships, encouraging collaboration and synergy amongst stakeholders, and strengthening indigenous structures for peace, while also creating and building interfaces with larger state-level peace efforts.
“We are leveraging our existing peace and security architecture to collaborate with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA) to design and develop a strategic document (Niger Delta Regional Peacebuilding Strategy) that will provide the framework for the implementation of a regional peacebuilding apparatus.”
She said that the Town Hall meeting is the continuation of that process to seek the views of relevant stakeholders on peace and security constraints, as well as suggestions to address them and expressed optimism that the contributions of the participants will be very useful.
