Niger Delta Youth Amnesty Should Be Reinstated, Says Governor Uzodimma
Gov. Uzodimma wants to reinstate amnesty for youth from the Niger Delta.
Senator Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo state, has spoken in favor of bringing back the Niger Delta Youth Amnesty program.
The calls were made on Tuesday in Owerri by Governor Uzodimma during his meeting with Niger Delta Development Minister Engr. Abubakar Momoh at Government House Owerri. Momoh and his important aides had been to Imo State for official business.
He “suggested that the Amnesty Programme of the Ministry be strengthened to enable the people, particularly the youths of the region, to have commensurate value from the programme,” according to a statement signed by the chief press secretary and addressed to Governor Mr. Oguwike Nwachuku.
“Governor Uzodimma asked the Minister to gather up all federal monies intended for the area and allocate them suitably to guarantee that the area receives infrastructure that is both appropriate and due to it.”
The governor also requested that the minister conduct a thorough audit of the several abandoned projects spread throughout the NDDC States, which comprise the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The governor stated that “where all the abandoned projects are completed the region will be more than 80 per cent developed,” and he challenged the Ministry and the NDDC to show a genuine interest in documenting and completing the abandoned projects in the area.
He complimented Engineer Momoh on the reforms he has implemented in the Ministry since taking office and expressed his happiness to see the Minister and his staff in Imo State.
The Governor, however, expressed sympathy to the Minister regarding the poor quality of some of the projects that had been carried out in his Ministry prior to this, as well as the frequent abandonment of projects that the Minister had encountered on the ground upon taking office, and urged him to maintain the same level of focus today as he had upon taking office.
To accomplish the intended aims, he pledged to help and collaborate with the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, the NDDC, and other agencies under the Ministry going forward.
He urged the youth of the Nigerian Delta to stop damaging federal government property or NDDC projects in the area, and he urged the federal government to step up efforts to create jobs and other opportunities that will give the region’s hordes of young people a more fulfilling life.
“To inspect ongoing projects of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development area and the Niger Delta Development Commission and to solicit greater partnership and cooperation of the Governors of the nine States of the region,” Engineer Momoh had earlier explained to the Governor when he had informed him of their location in Imo State.
According to the Minister, “the NDDC and the Ministry of Niger Delta Development are in partnership for the progress and development of the region, never in competition with the States.”
Although he admitted that there are many difficulties, particularly with regard to abandoned projects, he assured that the Commission and his Ministry are working to alter the story.
Taking advantage of the occasion, the Minister told the Governor about the National Council on Niger Delta Affairs’ planned meeting, which is set for April 16–18, 2024, and would cover the region’s development and prosperity.
In closing, he expressed his gratitude to the governor of Imo State for his good achievements, praising him in particular for his legacy projects and road infrastructure.
Additionally, Engineer Momoh brought up the ongoing flyover project that Governor Uzodimma’s 3R government has started in Imo State.
