By Oladipo Airenakho
Benin City – Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said that a coordinated approach of accurate data and statistics of communities in the Niger-Delta region is pivotal to resolving youth restiveness and enhancing human capacity development.
Besides, Obaseki said his administration was determined to curb youth restiveness and build their capacity through technical and vocational training in various communities of the state.
He made the remarks when he played host the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Program, Brig-Gen Paul Boroh, at the Government House during the week.
“We are anxious to ensure that we calm the restiveness in our different communities. Fortunately, we in Edo don’t discriminate. We have an all-encompassing program that will accommodate everybody.”
He said the State Government was determined in its resolve to collaborate with the Presidential Amnesty Program on Niger Delta to achieve its purpose for the region.
“We will take special interest in the oil producing areas because of the neglect of the past. We will be very keen on working with you particularly on data and statistics for those communities, so that we can, working with your program, pull the available resources together from the oil companies, donor agencies, the World Bank program for a coordinated approach to the challenges, particularly human capacity development,” he assured.
As you are also aware, he continued, “our focus is shifting heavily towards technical and vocational training. We are working very hard to strengthen our technical colleges. This is an area we would like to cooperate with you.”
Governor Obaseki assured Gen Boroh of government’s understanding and appreciation of the leadership role Edo is supposed to play or has traditionally played in the sub-region, adding that his administration’s role is to re-enforce that and continue to be the hub that brings the sub-region together.
He thanked him immensely for this visit, saying the importance placed on this program necessitated the meeting no matter how brief,” to appreciate you, to appreciate the work you are doing, and to also make you understand that it is something we are very cognizant of – a program we are anxious to participate in, and make sure it succeeds.”
“Even though there has been a lot of agitations in the sub-region in the Niger, Edo has been relatively peaceful, but over the weekend, there was an incident in Gelegele where a line was bombed and for us, that was not a good omen at all,” Obaseki remarked.
Earlier in his speech, Brig. Gen Paul Boroh said his team was in the state from the presidential amnesty office as a continuation of the relationship between the Agency and Edo State as a strategic partner towards ensuring stability in the Niger Delta Region and particularly to re-instate thirteen thousand ex-agitators that are captured in the program.
“It is an ongoing program that I took over in July last year – about thirteen thousand of the ex-agitators are left to be trained and empowered, but I am happy to say that Edo State is in partnership with us to train and empower one thousand ex-agitators from the ANCHOR borrowers’ initiative of the Central Bank,” he said.
According to him, it is a milestone towards the resolution of the conflict in the Niger Delta because, if as many as one thousand persons are captured in terms of development in their skills and they are out of the creeks, it will encourage others who are still in the creeks to have hope that someday, they too will benefit from this gesture, “which is one of the best alternatives to revamping our economy.”
He said that From time to time, the presidential amnesty office will be coming to the state to meet with leaders of the ex-agitators, and that the government would be informed of such visit.
“We are doing that because it is one of the safest states in the Niger Delta. This morning, we shall be empowering some of the ex-agitators in agriculture. That is the activity we are going to have today, and we feel it is respectful, it is proper that we meet with you.”
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