Roland Ogbonaya
8 July 2009
Lagos — In 2008, the Delta State Government convoked its first information summit and the unveiling of the True Face of Delta by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. In the lead paper at the summit presented by Dr. Eloho Otobo, director of strategic planning at the United Nations titled "Delta State-Strengthening the Bond of Performance," he urged the Uduaghan Administration to institute a frame work to be called Delta Diaspora Direct (D3) to harness the expertise, experience and services of Deltans in Diaspora towards the successful implementation of the development programmes of the state government.
The state government estimates that the population of Delta State professionals and business people in Diaspora is at over one million and the D3 initiative will provide a veritable platform for mobilising their technical expertise, financial resources and web of contacts around the world to support developmental programmes in the state, especially in the thematic areas of peace and security, human capital and infrastructural developments.
According to the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Oma Djebah, the Delta Diaspora Direct (D3) would soon be launched in a ceremony that would provide the platform the gathering of consternation of professionals, administrators and businessmen all over the world. The event, according to Djebah would also coincide with an international summit with the theme: "The Role of Delta Diasporans in Peace Building, Security and Development of Delta State," and the formal inauguration of the D3 by Uduaghan in New York, US.
He said the choice of New York as the conference venue and launching base was informed by its status as a major commercial and investment hub of the world, but the headquarters of the United Nations and the hub of global economic, political and diplomatic community as well as the citadel of creativity.
It is being proposed that a former United States envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador Walter Carrington would chair the ceremonies, while other eminent Nigerians and other global key players will be at the event to deliver papers.
Some of those expected include Dr. Asha Rose Migiro, the deputy secretary general of the UN, Mr. Chieck Diarra, under secretary for African affairs, UN, Dr. Eloho Otobo, director of strategic planning UN, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, managing director of the World Bank and Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, under secretary, UN, New York.
Others are Prof. Michael Watts, scholar and author, Mrs. Onalaja-Soyinka, special assistant in the Presidency on migration and special affairs, Prof. Joy Ogwu, Nigeria permanent representative to the UN, Mr. Marc Beinoff, chief executive officer of Sales Force Company Inc., Prof. Onokome Okome of the African studies, University of Alberta, Canada, Senator Russ Feingold, chairman, Congress Committee on Africa as well as Congressman Donald Pane from New Jersey.
Also expected to attend the summit are Senator John Kerry, chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and former presidential candidate, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr., director general, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Mr. Umang Gupta, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, former minister of information, Prof. Pat Utomi of the Lagos Business School, Prof. Lucky Akarnese of the University of Port Harcourt, key members of the media, organised private sector amongst others.
Delta Diaspora Direct (D3) is a Delta State Government sponsored initiative aimed at linking expertise of Delta people in Diaspora with home-based talent to accelerate the development of the state. Delta State Diasporans have long yearned to make a contribution to the government's effort at socio-transformation of the state, especially in its three-point programme of peace/security, human capital and infrastructural development. These three programmes constitute the foundation for sustained growth and development.
The population of Delta State professionals and business people in the Diaspora around the world is estimated at one million. Therefore, the D3 initiative provides a definitive platform for mobilising the technical expertise, the financial resources and the web of contacts that Delta Diasporans can bring to support the development of their state.
It is also based on the proposal that the "State government can take an innovative step of creating a framework to be called Delta Diaspora Direct (D3), wherein it can harness the expertise and experience of people of Delta State in Diaspora in service of the implementation of the programmes of the state.
Specifically, the D3 framework should aim to tap the expertise and experience of the Diaspora to contribute to realising the three components of the governor's covenant (peace/security, human capital and infrastructural development) and the three niche areas of agriculture, medical care and environmental protection-which were referred to as the AME sectors. The first task of such a framework is to undertake a Delta Diaspora capacity estimate - a detailed inventory of current Delta expertise that is available around the world.
According to the state Commissioner for Information, the three sectors were "identified as part of broader effort by the state government to begin the process of diversifying the Delta State economy away from high dependence on oil earnings. The salience of that recommendation has been underlined by the recent rapid decline in oil prices.
"In any case, whether the price of oil fell or not, the oil and gas sector does not offer many opportunities for significant job creation both because the sector is highly capital intensive and because the foreign oil companies that dominate the sector bring most of their managerial and technical staff from abroad," the Commissioner emphasised.
He said the day the paper was delivered, the price of oil stood at $120 per barrel that was 19 percent down from the all time high of $147.27 reached in July 2008. Today the price of oil is much lower. The marked volatility in oil prices combined with the renewed effort by leading industrialised nations to diversify their energy sources from fossil fuel provide yet another compelling reason for Delta State to embark on a sustained programme of diversifying its economic base.
Djebah said that paper also noted that Delta State had three main sources of capacity for its development, namely: the existing Delta capacity in the state and the rest of the country, capacity in the Diaspora and creating new capacity through training. "All these capacities need to be harnessed and made to work in complementary manner.
"It recognised that the existing Delta capacities in the country were not adequate and raising the capacity through training is an urgent and important task, but which will be realised in years not in months. In the meantime, the Diaspora Deltans is a rich pool from which the government can draw," he said. The Commissioner explained that D3 will initially focus on bringing the expertise and resources of Delta Diaspora to support the agricultural development, medical care and environmental protection as well as the governor's three-point programme.
The benefit of the D3 programme, he further explained, will provide a much needed platform for Delta professionals and business people in the Diaspora to contribute towards the state development goals; offer a framework for recognising the contribution of Delta Diasporans, provide an opportunity for professionals from abroad to work on different programmes in key sectors of the state economy, including contributing towards policy framework, projects design and implementation which will result in job creation as well as create a vehicle for Deltan Diasporans to share their skills with their professional counterparts at home.
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It is a welcomed news to read online on the activities of the Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, on the topic true face of of Delta. It will be more commendable if all the papers spent on writing all those publication do not end without action; as other innitiative in the past ended.
Nigeria should open thier eyes before it is too late. Our oil is drying up and no impact has been felt by the populace on that God sent wealth. It is not too late to turn things around.
Agriculture sustained nigeria before the advent of crude oil. That sector has been left to suffer after the oil wealth. My last visit to my state of origin delta from europe was a disgusting site. no good roads ,no electricity ,nogood schools.
It is a pity when our leaders visits the west they forgot the good things they saw in the western world.
Christoper Etadaferua
CEO: EGlobal Solar Center
It is a welcomed news to read online on the activities of the Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, on the topic true face of of Delta. It will be more commendable if all the papers spent on writing all those publication do not end without action; as other innitiative in the past ended.
Nigeria should open thier eyes before it is too late. Our oil is drying up and no impact has been felt by the populace on that God sent wealth. It is not too late to turn things around.
Agriculture sustained nigeria before the advent of crude oil. That sector has been left to suffer after the oil wealth. My last visit to my state of origin delta from europe was a disgusting site. no good roads ,no electricity ,nogood schools.
It is a pity when our leaders visits the west they forgot the good things they saw in the western world.
Christoper Etadaferua
CEO: EGlobal Solar Center