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POST-AMNESTY PLAN TO EMBRACE ALL NIGER DELTA YOUTHS, UDUAGHAN REVEALS TO CNBC TV
Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has stated that the post- amnesty programme of the Federal Government would accommodate all youths in the Niger-Delta Region including those who did not carry arms during the violent period of the crisis. Dr. Uduaghan who stated this in Abuja while fielding questions from a crew of CNBC Africa, a broadcasting outfit based in South-Africa, said “The post- amnesty plan is for all youths in the Niger-Delta region not only for those that carried arms. The first plan is to change the mindset of the youths. Skill acquisition centers are being built to accommodate the youths, those that dropped out from school will be reabsorbed to continue their education.” The governor said that skill acquisition centers have been established to enable the youths to acquire specific skills of their choice and those that dropped out of school would continue their education. He also said that the state government has its own post- amnesty plan for the youths in the region which includes the re-building of the destroyed towns of Okerenkoko and Ugborodo. Apart from accommodation, the new towns will have all the basic infrastructures as well as provide sources of livelihood for the people. Governor Uduaghan stated that the Governors' Forum supports deregulation of the oil sector as it would remove a lot of vices from the sector and provide better services for Nigerians. According to him “The Governors’ Forum has put up its decision to support the deregulation of the oil sector. Nigerians will feel the pinch initially but they will benefit from it because it will remove a lot of the vices in the sector and provide better services for us.” On the issue of business opportunities in the state, the governor stated that his administration has put in place strategies to improve the business potentials of the state and attract foreign investors. He explained that his administration was concentrating on building a state without oil and as such was developing the agricultural sector by training youth to acquire different agriculture skills and setting them up at the end of the program just as he said that the state assisted peasant farmers with farm implements, farm produce and finance and was partnering with foreign investors to process, package and export farm produce. The governor also noted that the state has invested so much on infrastructure development through building of airports in Asaba and extending the runway of the airstrip in Warri, dualisation of roads and ensuring that the seaports in the state are functional for easy transportation of goods to the market. He explained that the state was keying into the Federal government Independent Power Plant and also developing its own power plant to improve on power supply in the state and for improved investment opportunities. Meanwhile, Governor Uduaghan has assured entrepreneurs of the business potentials in the state and also intimated them on the strategies put in place by the state government to encourage investments. Dr. Uduaghan who gave the assurance while making a presentation on the investment potentials of the state during the 10th anniversary of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission in Abuja said the state had created a peaceful environment for investment to thrive. “The environment of the Niger-Delta is now peaceful for investors. We have a lot of business potentials in this state and my administration is building a state less dependent on oil and developing other sector of the economy to attract foreign investment to the state,” the Governor said. He said that his administration is building an industrial business park in Warri and the necessary basic infrastructures would be put in place for investors even as he noted that they would have access to the Koko Free Export Zone. According to him “We have a lot of business opportunities in the state, we have improved on our Information Communication Technology, and we are currently developing the Warri industrial park and a tourism village near Asaba. We will assist investors to get all the necessary documents, clearance, manpower, market and work out a security strategy to enable them function adequately in the state.” The session was rounded up with a brief address by the Deputy President of South Africa Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe who said that for Nigeria and South Africa to achieve their socio-economic goals they need to re-double the effort of improving the economic growth of both countries. “Our ability to achieve all the developmental goals we have to set for ourselves, we need to improve on our efforts and face the challenges the global economic meltdown pose. It is necessary for Nigeria and South Africa business investors to be in partnership and accelerate the pace for investment growth in our nation,” he said. Present at the forum were the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, representatives of the government of Nigeria and South Africa, captains of industries among others.   
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