The United State has identified dialogue and practical efforts in the
\ndevelopment of the Niger Delta, as veritable means to resolve the security
\nand other related challenges of the region.<\/p>\n
The Deputy Head of Mission of the United States Embassy in Nigeria,
\nAmbassador David Young, stated this during a courtesy call on Bayelsa
\nState Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson in Government House, Yenagoa on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
The Envoy, who is visiting Bayelsa for the first time,,implored the
\nFederal Government to put in place, measures that would improve the living
\nconditions of the Niger Delta people.<\/p>\n
While calling on all stakeholders to embrace dialogue, as part of the
\nprocess of resolving the crisis in the region, Young observed that
\nsuccessive governments in the country have been making efforts to achieve
\nthe best possible means to deploy the wealth generated from the Niger
\nDelta to impact on the lives of the people.<\/p>\n
According to him, the US government was ready to partner with Nigeria and
\nBayelsa state in the area of funding development and economic prosperity,
\nthrough a variety of programmes, including agriculture, health, education
\nand maritime security, without losing focus on transparency and fiscal
\nresponsibility.<\/p>\n
Young said, “The US government feels very strongly that all stakeholders
\nshould be engaged in dialogue, as part of the process to arrive at
\nequitable and fair solution for all involved. We believe that a bit of
\nchallenge for Nigeria, is to transform the region of oil wells (the Niger
\nDelta) into improvement in the life of the average Deltan. And, that is
\nsomething we feel very strongly about.<\/p>\n
“We encourage Nigerians to work for common goals as against violence and
\ncriminal activities. We encourage Nigeria to establish conditions and
\nmechanisms for lasting change over time and provide economic opportunities
\nand services for Deltans… US provides assistance to the region, through
\nmaritime security training, aviation security, treatment and prevention of
\nHIV\/AIDS, good governance planning, agric system and a number of other
\nactivities. So we want to be your partner.”<\/p>\n
In his response, Dickson lamented the level of environmental damage in the
\nNiger Delta and renewed his call on multinational corporate organisations,
\nparticularly the oil majors to adhere to international standards in their
\noperations in the region.<\/p>\n
While calling for caution on the part of troops, being deployed to the
\nregion, Governor Dickson said that, the solution to the problems of the
\nNiger Delta lies squarely on development and environmental justice, which
\nhe noted, could only be achieved through meaningful dialogue.<\/p>\n
Describing the environment as a critical heritage of any people, the
\nGovernor commended the Federal Government for kick-starting the Ogoniland
\nClean-Up Programme and called for its extension to other parts of the
\nregion, stressing that Bayelsa environment remains the most polluted in
\nthe Niger Delta.<\/p>\n
According to him, as the place where oil was first struck in commercial
\nquantity, Bayelsa records an average of three oil pollutions in a day and
\nrequires a special attention from the Federal Government and the
\nmulti-Nationals.<\/p>\n
Dickson expressed gratitude to the US envoy and his team for the visit,
\nand solicited their assistance in the areas of education, infrastructural
\ndevelopment and promotion of peace and stability in the Niger Delta.<\/p>\n
His said, “We believe that the issues of the Niger Delta are not such that
\ncan be resolved by means of confrontation or show of military strength. We
\nbelieve that these are essentially issues of development; they are issues
\nabout the environment.<\/p>\n
“So, we as a government, community leaders, corporate executives
\nparticularly the oil majors that are operating here and the Federal
\nGovernment, its agencies and the friends of our country should work
\ntogether to resolve the challenges of the Niger Delta.<\/p>\n
“These are issues that working together sincerely and following a clear
\nroadmap, we think can be resolved in such a way that communities will be
\nprosperous; Government, agencies and businesses within our region will
\nbenefit from the overall climate of stability and security that will be
\ngenerated when there is\u00a0 a consensus building effort. That is where we
\nstand and I believe that has been the position of the US Mission.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The United State has identified dialogue and practical efforts in the development of the Niger Delta, as veritable means to resolve the security and other related challenges of the region.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n