Niger Delta must surrender to peace, NDDC executive director declares
Admin l Sunday, August 11, 2019
PORT HARCOURT, Rivers, Nigeria – The Acting Executive Director, Projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Engr. Dr. Samuel Adjogbe, FNSE, has appealed to youths in all parts of the country to support activities and programmes that promote peace.
Dr Adjogbe spoke when members of the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, led by its President, Dr Isah Abubakar, paid him a courtesy visit at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt and honoured him as an icon of human transformation, with the title “Garkuwan Matasan Nigeria” (Protector of the Youths).
The NDDC Executive Director said that the Commission was planning to mount a programme where ex-agitators would come out to declare that Niger Delta region had surrendered to peace, stating that it was an important message that should be spread throughout the country.
Adjogbe described peace as a veritable instrument for nation building, stating that the NDDC was making conscious efforts to ensure lasting peace. According to him, “we must continue to work to promote peace and security for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region, in particular, and Nigeria, in general.
He declared: “If we do not surrender to peace, then we cannot drive the development process. Hence, we must deploy all efforts to ensure that there is peace and security in our country.
He further stressed the need to inculcate the right attitude and values in the youths, stating that it was necessary to recalibrate our value system and get people to begin to differentiate between good and bad, adding that it would once again make the Niger Delta friendly to investors.
The NDDC Executive Director said: “It is important for us to begin to woo investors back to the Niger Delta to drive sustainable development which will ultimately improve the quality of life of our people.”
Adjogbe said that much as the next level agenda of the Federal Government was promising, it would not achieve the desired goals in an atmosphere of insecurity. He noted that as one of the national patrons of the Buhari support group, he joined in the effort to preach peace in all parts of the country.
He observed: “I have been an ardent follower of President Muhammadu Buhari right from when he was the military head of state in the 1980s. I still remember the War Against Indiscipline, WAI, which ingrained the queuing culture into the consciousness of Nigerians. I am happy that Nigerians have given President Buhari another opportunity to instill discipline in our country in a democratic milieu.”
The President of the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, Dr Isah Abubakar, said that Adjogbe, was one of the few Federal Government appointees that distinguished themselves in service, noting that the group recognised his exceptional performance and commitment to the next level agenda of the Buhari administration.
He said that the NYCN was impressed by the fact that the NDDC executive director had mentored many youths and prepared them for leadership positions. “We, therefore, recognize you as an icon of human transformation who has shown exemplary leadership in the area of agriculture, infrastructure, youth empowerment and encouraging youths to participate in leadership,” Abubakar said.
The NYCN President urged the NDDC to help nurture the newly established North East Development Commission, noting that the Niger Delta interventionist agency had come a long way and its experiences over the years could help other new bodies to take their own bearing.
