NDDC chairman hails Ogoni youth group for shunning violence

PORT HARCOURT, River, Nigeria – The Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie has commended youth groups in the Niger Delta region for shunning violence in resolving issues affecting the oil-rich region.

Speaking when the Ogoni Youth Peace Movement paid her a courtesy visit at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Onochie applauded the youths of the region for embracing non-violent approaches in conflict resolution and helping to tell a positive story of the region. She said: “As long as the youths continue to keep the peace in the region, we at the NDDC will support you. It is gratifying to note that the youths of the Niger Delta region are changing the narrative about the Niger Delta region.”

She assured that the NDDC Governing Board will fulfil the promises it made after its inauguration, noting: “We will ensure that what belongs to the Niger Delta region is given to it. We will empower the women of the Niger Delta region.”

Speaking earlier, the President of Ogoni Youth Peace Movement, Comrade Nulai Tombari, noted that the “NDDC Chairman was divinely appointed to bring succor to the youths and women of the Niger Delta region.”

He commended Mrs. Onochie for her positive approach to issues affecting the Niger Delta region and called for closer ties between the NDDC and the Ogoni Youth Peace Movement to ensure greater impact.

The NDDC Chairman also received a delegation from the Niger Delta Professional Forum, NDPF who paid her a courtesy visit.

Onochie called on professionals in the region to educate the people of the Niger Delta region about life outside crude oil and gas.

She said it was time that the people of the Niger Delta region shifted their focus from wealth derived from oil and gas to alternative sources such as electricity.

According to her: “Times have changed, oil is no longer the primary source of our wealth. There are alternative sources of energy today. We need your support as professionals to educate our young people about these changes.”

In his remarks, the President of the Niger Delta Professionals Forum, Barrister Francis Obe-Mbieh, commended the NDDC Chairman on her appointment. He assured the NDDC of the group’s support for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.

Also speaking, the Representative of the North west on the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Prince Sule Sani Sami, commended the efforts of the NDPF in changing the narrative about the Niger Delta region stating it is noteworthy that the forum was focused on ensuring continuity in the region by educating its people on alternatives outside crude oil and gas.