Abuja — Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida has commended the Amnesty programme initiated by President Umaru Yar'Adua to end the militancy in the Niger Delta region.
He called for the improvement of the well-being of the oil-producing communities as well as that of people in solid mineral-endowed areas as a logical follow-up in the post-amnesty period.
He stated this yesterday in Abuja at the launch of a book, "Participation in Petroleum Development: Towards Sustain-able Community Development in the Niger Delta" by Dr. Aseme-Alabo Edward Bristol-Alagbariya.
Babangida noted that the introduction of the defunct Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) by his administration was a step taken to jumpstart the development of the Niger Delta.
"My administration established OMPADEC to physically and economically develop and rehabilitate the Delta region, and thereby make better impact in the region and its people than the Niger Delta Development Board (NDDB) which had at the time gone moribund," he remarked.
Represented by Mr. Jasper Jumbo, the former military strongman commended the amnesty programme initiated by President Umaru Yar'Adua
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He praised President Umaru Yar'Adua's administration which, he said, had done very well by its amnesty programme, and urged the country to improve the wellbeing of the oil-producing areas communities as well as those of other major natural resources producing areas of the country, such as the solid minerals producing areas.
"This should be done in compliance with the identified international standards and practices, in our march to achieve sustainable development in the interest of all the areas and regions of Nigeria, and our entire citizens, especially our poor citizens," he said.
The guest speaker, Prof C.P Wolf, a former president of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) and director, Social Impact Centre, New York, U.S., said applying the philosophy and methodology of impact assessment would facilitate bringing equity, prosperity and tranquillity to the Niger Delta region as well as the entire nation.
The book, entitled "Participation In Petroleum Development: Towards Sustainable Community Development in the Niger Delta", the writer said, sets out to prove that extractive industrial operations like exploration of oil and gas, mining and mineral resources impede sustainable development. However, he declared that these activities can also contribute to sustainable development if they are embarked upon in strict accordance with the principles sustainable development.
Britol-Alagbariya wants the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) before the National Assembly harmonised with the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007, to eliminate needless disparities in line with internationally accepted standards.
He said it was paradoxical that although both the PIB and Minerals and Mining Act deal with the same extractive exploration, there was a wide gulf between them which he wants the National Assembly to rectify before passing the bill.
"For instance, the mere allocation of Sustainable Development (SD) oriented duties and responsibilities to the Minister without the realization of the requisite government regulatory measures expressed, for instance, in Article 29 of the Johannesburg Declaration on SD, 2002, cannot guarantee SD in the solid minerals producing areas of the country," he said.
He accused some traditional rulers of diverting compensation, development projects and funds accruing to their people in the course of petroleum development in the region's communities.
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