Abdulfattah Olajide
The ongoing amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants will not succeed unless all stakeholders in the region are sincerely interested in ending the crisis, President Umaru Musa Yar'adua said yesterday.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Board in Abuja, the president said Niger Delta leaders must avoid parochial or political considerations in their pursuit of the resolution of the crisis.
"For us to make a success of this enterprise, all stakeholders must be transparently honest about the desire and the will to see this national challenge resolved. The issues at stake are of such magnitude that we cannot afford to subordinate them to political or parochial considerations", he said.
He expressed optimism that the crisis would be resolved soon in view of the "encouraging responses from the militant leaders, and the reiteration by the State Governors of their total commitment to the successful prosecution of the amnesty programme". He said the NDDC would fully integrate into the amnesty programme. "Specifically, I do expect that serious efforts will be initiated to commence the operationalization of the NDDC Master plan which, I am convinced, contains the requisite ingredients for holistically addressing the challenges of the Niger Delta.
The -in and unwavering commitment of all stakeholders - governments, the private sector (especially those in the oil and gas sector), and civil society - are key elements to the successful actualization of our vision for the Niger Delta."
He urged the members of the NDDC Board to "function with the highest possible levels of dedication, transparency, and accountability."
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