Olaolu Olusina
1 July 2009
Lagos — A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State and Country Director of the N4GG Group, Mr Sunny Onuesoke in an interview with Olaolu
Olusina, described the Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan, as a man who has proved his mettle within a very short time. In the state
"If there is a man who has carved a niche for himself in the minds of the people such that everybody gravitates around him wherever he goes, whatever he does, however he does them.If there is such a man whose vision and project's engineering skills describe a man who would continue to affect lives positively long after he might have left the scene, Governor Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan is such a man, " Onuesoke declared in an interview.
Explaining the motive behind N4GG data base SMS broadcast and SMS alert about government activities, he said it was in the interest of the down-trodden people of the state. Onuesoke also commended Uduaghan for his three point agenda of peace, security, infrastructure, law and order, saying it has remain the hope of all Deltans.
"A leader must chart a course based on goals, objective, and targets. Those objectives must be based on people's needs, not the leader's needs. Uduaghan's leadership has transformed Delta State into what successive leaders will continue to build on, " he also said, stressing "You will agree with me that Uduaghan is the first to start the process of putting Delta State on the path of progress that will in the future, not depend solely on oil. It is high time one preached this gospel Governor Uduaghan and people who think like him are engineering."
According to Onuesoke, "Deltans have been told to start preparing for a future without oil. To achieve this, Uduaghan's administration has re-activated other sectors of the economy to reduce the dependence on oil and gas which sometimes look like a curse on the people."
He commended the emphasis placed on agriculture, telecommunications, power generation, tourism, and transportation through which, according to him, the governor has been wooing foreign investors and others to the state to apply expertise in all fields for the development of the state.
Onuesoke however lamented the restiveness and kidnapping in the Niger Delta, saying it was the obvious reaction berthed on a sense of indignation against the knowledge that oil, gas and gold, which provided great wealth in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Quatar, Kuwait, Libya, and others is making the Niger Delta poorer, noting "This is the dilemma of Niger Delta people and the youths."
He nonetheless said that "we must try to usher in peace, and security for massive infrastructural development in Delta State and the entire Niger Delta," stressing that part of the reasons for the Niger Delta crisis was the fact that the communities lack equitable participation in the companies exploring oil and gas in their lands. He called for increased derivation to oil producing states from 13 percent to 50 percent, saying the way it was in the 1960's is the only solution.
According to him, the 50 percent should be seen as a way of finding a long term solution to the Niger Delta crisis as he advised that given the present situation of anger and disaffection among the youths, the people of the area should work towards building peace, security and ensure ethnic harmony within the Niger Delta so as to provide infrastructure and other social amenities that will spur meaningful development and self-fulfillment among the people.
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