Tension In Niger Delta: Governor Oshiomhole Blasts PDP

Adams Oshiomhole, the governor of Edo state, has blamed the past administration led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the current tension in the Niger Delta region.

New leadership of the Niger Delta ministry paid a courtesy visit to Governor Oshiomhole.

According to Oshiomhole, the PDP-led government empowered people who he described as “wrong guys who showed capacity for violence.”

Vanguard reports that the governor expressed his opinion when the new leadership of the Niger Delta ministry paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House in Benin City on Tuesday, January 19.

Addressing Pastor Usani Uguru, the minister of Niger Delta affairs, and Claudius Daramola, the state minister of Niger Delta, the governor said:

“You have a huge challenge due to the disastrous performance of your predecessors under the last PDP government which made more noise about the Niger Delta than work.

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“They empowered the wrong people because they showed capacity for violence and then ignored the real people who were peaceful, who just wanted development. Therefore, you have a huge task to bring development and carry out massive reforms for our people and you need to re-enlighten our people to recognise that the long term challenge of bringing prosperity to our people will not necessarily continue to be driven by intervention agencies, it has to do with creating jobs and making the region peaceful.”

The governor express worry over the damage to the environment inflicted by major oil companies and called on the ministry to pay serious attention to the issue of environmental degradation.

In his remark, Uguru said that the ministry would assess the progress in the Niger Delta states.

“It is our position that we should not begin projects in the state without the knowledge, commitment and collaboration of the home government because this will help us in future planning to agree even before we propose any project.

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“We want to channel our resources in a way that will be best utilized so as to avoid wastage. We are also going to take priorities very seriously,we will put resources where they will be optimally utilized,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, top militants leaders gave conditions under which they would stop bombing of oil installations in the Niger Delta region and embrace peace.

The militants revealed that they would put down their arms only if Ibe Kachikwu, the minister of state for petroleum, meets and negotiates with them.

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