Samuel Oyadongha
9 November 2009
Yenagoa — Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the present generation of Nigerians to rise up to the challenges of managing the country's resources rather than engaging in ventures that are counterproductive and unsustainable.
Dr. Jonathan, who made a surprise appearance weekend, in Yenagoa at a cocktail/command performance organised in honour of the visiting 36 state governors, also challenged the youths of the Niger Delta to acquire technical knowledge to enable them to take charge of the oil industry, especially with the Federal Government's initiation of progammes geared towards the development of the Niger Delta.
He noted that with the implementation of the amnesty programmes for the Niger Delta militants, the next phase of the struggle in the region should be on how to study and know the sciences, stressing that only the study of the sciences in the universities would enable Nigeria produce its own technology.
"The next level of the struggle is to know about the sciences. We must now think about how we can study the sciences to produce our technology in our universities," said Jonathan.
According to him, Nigeria cannot continue to be buying guns and other technologies from other countries, "we must think of how we can now study how to produce these things."
The Vice President also advised Bayelsans to take up appointments at the federal level and observed with disgust that most Bayelsans have refused to take appointments at the federal level.
On reasons the Nigerian Governors' Forum was being held in Bayelsa State, he said it was a symbolic gesture to demonstrate that the Niger Delta was now peaceful and indicative of the governors' support for the President's post amnesty programme.
The Vice President re-assured on President Umaru Yar'Adua's commitment to the development of the Niger Delta, noting that issues concerning peace and stability of the region and the country as a whole would not be politicized.
Jonathan also spoke of the need to strengthen the third tier of government and charged members of the National Assembly to fashion out ways of strengthening the local government system to reduce the burden of state governments in delivering dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
"The Local Governments are very week, it is a big challenge to us to really look at how we can strengthen this tier of government", said the Vice President who also commended the 36 Governors for being very supportive to the President Umaru Yar'adua-led administration.
"Governors of the 36 states have been very supportive of the president. We now see all governors working to support the president", noted Dr. Jonathan who also pointed point out that the Yenagoa meeting of the Forum has further shown that the amnesty was well implemented and peace has really returned to the region.
"One of the main reasons of the Yenagoa meeting is the affirmation of the peace that has returned. This is a clear demonstration that the area is peaceful.
"Niger Delta is a peaceful area, I was born here, I know how it used to be."
An elated Governor Timipre Sylva, said peace in the Niger Delta is central to Nigeria's stability.
According to the governor, whatever happens in the Niger Delta has a spiralling effect on the rest of the country, saying the hosting of the Nigerian Governors' Forum in Bayelsa State was proof that Nigeria is not only ready to benefit from the production of oil but also determined to share in the problems arising from the sector.
Similarly, he acknowledged that with the restoration of peace in the Niger Delta, Nigeria as a nation has demonstrated to the world that it is capable of resolving its problems without external assistance.
He therefore called for the support of the governors towards ensuring that President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's Post-amnesty Programme is translated into reality.
The host governor highlighted a number of the President's planned programmes for the Niger Delta, which include construction of a railway line from Cross River to Lagos state and a coastal road from Lagos to Akwa Ibom state as well as divesting ten percent equity stake from the Joint Venture oil business to oil bearing communities, among others.
He emphasized that all Nigerians have a role to play to make the promises of the President come to fruition, because according to him, whatever is invested in the Niger Delta would not be beneficial to the region alone but to the whole country.
Speaking, Chairman of the Governors Forum, Dr. Bukola Saraki of Kwara state, expressed the governors' support for the post amnesty programme.
Dr. Saraki congratulated President Yar' Adua, Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and people of the Niger Delta for the enthronement of peace through the successful implementation of the amnesty.
According to the Chairman, when the history of Nigeria is written, it would be on record that the peace initiative in the Niger Delta region kick-started in Bayelsa.
Eleven Governors and five Deputy Governors who represented their governors attended the Saturday night event.
Governors that were personally present Saturday night included that of Kwara, Edo , Zamfara, Cross River , Adamawa, Jigawa, Benue , Sokoto Ebonyi, Gombe and Bayelsa states.
The Deputy Governors that represented their Governors included that of Kogi, Nassarawa, Rivers, Osun and Oyo states.How ever that of Ekiti arried Sunday afternoon.
As at press time the governors were still in a close door meeting and a communiqué is expected to be issued at the end of their deliberation.
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