The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Samuel Ogbuku, has said the Niger Delta, by current realities, has become the most peaceful region in Nigeria suitable for investments.
Ogbuku, who asserted the appraisal during interaction in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with ex-militants engaged in Phases 1, 2, and 3 of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, according to Vanguard, urged stakeholders in the region to sustain the prevailing peace to attract much-needed investments and development.
He said, “We want the world to know Niger Delta people have gone beyond street agitation. We are now involved in intellectual engagement. We sacrificed a lot during the struggle for emancipation in the Niger Delta. Now it’s time to turn that struggle into development.
“Our youths complain about a lack of employment, but interventions cannot come from the government alone. Investors must see our region as peaceful and politically stable before they can bring employment opportunities. It is our responsibility to ensure the Niger Delta remains peaceful and stable for employment generation.
The Niger Delta has become one of the most peaceful regions in the country, and we are expecting businesses to return. Many investment opportunities that should have come to the Niger Delta moved to other regions perceived to be more conducive for business.”
He said President Bola Tinubu was aware of the region’s challenges and was well prepared to bring positive changes, but only with the cooperation of the people, just as NDDC was focused on driving its Holistic Opportunities Programmes for Engagement, HOPE, to gainfully empower youths in the region.
The ex-militants expressed support for Ogbuku’s leadership of the NDDC, affirming his antecedent as the foremost Niger Delta activist, committed to genuine development of the region, and with adequate capacity to meet stakeholders expectations at the helms of the commission.
