Lagos — TWENTY-two-year-old Miss Onyinye Ogor, an economics and statistics undergraduate of University of Benin (UNIBEN), Benin City, won the Miss Oil and Gas Nigeria (MOGN) 2007 beauty pageant, organized recently in Warri by the Linkzone Entertainment, Nigeria.

The pageant, acclaimed to be one of the glamorous of such events in the Niger-Delta, is designed, among other things, to redeem the image of the region, promote awareness of the HIV/STD and other diseases, and also instill social responsibility consciousness in the youths. The MOGN queen who hails from the Ika area of Delta State spoke to Sunday Vanguard in Warri on her plans.

AS Miss Oil and Gas Nigeria, symbolising the Niger-Delta, the nation's main economic resource base, what do you think of the region in terms of social life and development?

The Niger Delta is, indeed, blessed. It is the breeding ground for great talents in Nigeria. Despite the general crises and instability witnessed here, the region has produced great artists, actors, athletes, sports men and women excelling all over the world today. I am so proud to be from the Niger Delta. Nigeria is one of the largest producers of crude oil in the world.

It is very disheartening that the region, from which the crude oil is extracted from, is still underdeveloped. The Niger Delta should of course have the most beautiful states and cities in the world today and be the most peaceful of all regions if the money realised from the Niger Delta is used to develop the region.

The oil companies in the Niger Delta should maintain a very cordial relationship with the communities which the crude is exploited from and the communities that are playing hosts to the pipelines. It is very unfair that most of these communities are living in neglect and poverty and they lack all the basic minimum amenities. There is no electricity, no good water, no good roads, no micro -finance system for improvement of their farm produce, no sponsorship for the youth's extracurricular activities, no scholarships for the academically excellent student. This is very unfair.

My major focus: The reason for the restiveness in the Niger Delta is an open secret though all the affected states as well as the Federal Government have been doing their best to see that the grievances of the youths are addressed and lasting solutions found to the ugly happenings in the region. However, being a concerned Nigerian and as the queen of the Oil and Gas sector, my major objective, amongst other things, is to actively contribute to the restoration and sustenance of peace in the Niger Delta region in my own little way.

What responsibilities go with your crown and what is your pet project about?

My responsibility as queen and an ambassador of peace for the Niger-Delta is to preach peace and actively contribute to the sustainability of peace in the Niger Delta. In conjunction with the Linkzone Entertainment, the organizers of the MOGN pageant, I am working on a project tagged "Socio-Restoration of Peace in the Niger-Delta." We have several activities lined up and they have been strategically designed towards achieving our set up objectives. These activities have been broken down into phases to assist the communities affected by oil spillage and some other oil rich communities living in poverty, epidemic and neglect in the Niger Delta.

Shocking discovery at Oloibiri: Since I emerged as the Miss Oil and Gas Nigeria, I, with the help of Linkzone Entertainment, have toured some of the major oil producing states in the region. I discovered that most of the communities from which Nigeria crude oil is realised from and some communities hosting the NNPC and Shell oil pipelines lack all the basic minimum social amenities. I visited some communities in Bayelsa state and the most shocking and most disappointing point of my visit was when I went to Oloibiri. This is the community where crude oil was first found in Nigeria and it's a heart- breaking act that all that remains of Oloibiri today is emptied oil well. Oloibiri is abandoned to its fate. The people of Oloibiri community are complaining bitterly of neglect amongst other things. They told us that the foundation stone for the Oloibiri Oil and Gas Institute, which was laid since 2001, has been abandoned. I must tell you I wept at what I saw at Oloibiri.

No hospital in Jesse, nine years after fuel disaster: I also visited Jesse and Onyobru communities in Delta State. These people languish in hunger, it is so sad and painful that such communities playing host to NNPC pipelines lack necessary social amenities. Not even an over -head tank or cottage hospital exists even after the Jesse fire disaster of 1998. However I intend to reach out to many communities in the Niger Delta. I want to enlighten them on the evils of vandalization , violence and the dangers of HIV, STD and malaria.

You said the project would be in phases, could you break it down?

We are already in the first phase of the project, which is why we are trying to raise as much awareness as we can. The first phase is actually to lobby the Federal Government for a partnership on sustainable development in the Niger Delta. We have been holding seminars in several states of the region. We have also written to governmental agencies for sustainable development in the Niger Delta. I have contacted the oil and gas companies in the region for support and assistance for our project. The second phase of the project is to get the Federal Government to resume work on the abandoned project in Oloibiri. The Oil and Gas Institute must be completed.

This institute would boost economic growth in Oloibiri. It would also be an avenue for businesses and job opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers. The third phase of the social restoration of peace and development in the Niger Delta is my campaign against oil pipeline vandalization, reaching out to the youths in the region to see that the evil of vandalization and violence is checkmated.

How do you intend to go about all these?

I have written sponsorship proposals for the project and distributed them to various oil and gas firms and governmental agencies for developing the Niger Delta. I strongly believe that development can only be achieved through harmony and co-operation, thus, if sufficient sponsorship measures are provided by these companies and governmental agencies in the Niger Delta, we are guaranteed of total success and fulfillment of the project.