Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe
|
President Goodluck Jonathan is billed to inaugurate the
National Council on Niger Delta in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State today, a day after the
council held its maiden meeting, where the recommendations flowing from the
stakeholders’ conference were considered and ratified.
The inauguration is coming as the Minister of Niger Delta
Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, Thursday assured that his ministry’s drive
for development in the region was not in
any way intended to take over the functions of any organisation or intervention
agency such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The 40-member council, which was recently approved by the
Federal Executive Council (FEC), comprises representatives of governmental,
institutional bodies, development partners, multilateral and bilateral
organisations, and oil exploration companies.
The council is mandated to give direction to the development
partners operating in the Niger Delta, ensure the alignment and coordination of
policies and programmes intended for the region, ensure the full realisation of
uncompleted projects as well as give full impetus to new ones while eliminating
duplication.
Orubebe, who is the chairman of the council, disclosed at
the inaugural meeting of the council in Uyo, yesterday that President
Jonathan is to formally inaugurate the
council today.
“As you already know, the National Council on Niger Delta,
like any other council in the federal establishments, serves as a coordinating
forum to address issues and challenges in its area of jurisdiction. In this
respect, the council has the responsibility to approve policies, projects and
programmes, and coordinate efforts designed to drive developmental activities
in the Niger Delta.
“In approving the National Council on Niger Delta Affairs, government
foresees the harmonisation of development efforts in the Niger Delta and
accordingly mandated it, among others, to give direction to the development
partners operating in the region, ensure the alignment and coordination of
policies and programmes intended for the
area and ensure the full realisation of projects started and give impetus to
new ones while avoiding duplication by operators,” he said.
The council, he said, is also expected to bring back trust
between the citizens and states and create a friendly environment for effective
multi-stakeholder engagement, especially re-engaging communities alongside
their leaders, in the development process.
The minister noted that the observations and suggestions
arising from the stakeholders’ conference, which held between Monday and Wednesday in the Akwa Ibom State
capital, would be incorporated when operationalising the Niger Delta Action
Plan.
The Niger Delta
Action Plan, which is a collaborative development framework for the region,
coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) working with
other development partners.
No comments:
Post a Comment