Medical Practitioner Canvasses Oil City In N’Delta

The Federal Government has been urged to create a special oil city in the Niger Delta, to abate the lingering socio-economic problems in the area.

A medical practitioner based in Calabar, Dr Theo Onukwu, made the call in an interview with newsmen.

Onukwu said that a special oil and gas city would contribute greatly to a permanent resolution of the under development issues in the area.

He said: “They should give Niger Delta an oil city that will approximate a state and have good schools, health facilities and other infrastructure and all oil companies should be located there.

“When you do that, you will have the complementary support of the World Bank, African Development Bank and other international cooperation and that will be the end of Niger Delta crises”.

He advised states in the Niger Delta to pursue agro-based economic policies that would improve the industrial bases of their states.

Onukwu particularly urged Cross River Government to complement tourism activities in the state with agro-based ventures so as to expand its economic frontiers for the benefit of the citizens.

He stressed the need for the government to harness the natural resources in the state by encouraging medium and small-scale agricultural and allied businesses in rural communities.

According to him, establishing small-scale industries across the three senatorial districts of the state will, to a large extent, curb unemployment and rural-urban migration.

“We need massive building of small-scale industries. We have huge amount of products such as banana which is the main source of biscuits and a biscuits factory will thrive in Ikom.

“We need big plantain chips ventures in Biase. No matter how small the factory may be, it can employ between 40 to 50 people’’, he said.