Group Wants Wike To Establish RISOPADEC

Omoku Gas Turbine

The South South Youth
Consultants, Enlightenment And Mobilisation Council (SSYCEMOC), Rivers State Chapter wants the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike to consider establishing Rivers State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (RISOPADEC).
SSYCEMOC State Director of Publicity, Chris Nnodim, who disclosed this Thursday, in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt said the body made a similar appeal to the immediate past administration and had expected that the commission would be created but expressed regret that the past government did not deem it appropriate.
According to him, “establishment of RISOPADEC would accelerate development in most oil producing communities of the state and also create thousands of jobs for the people.”
Nnodim said such commission had been created by most oil-producing states in the Niger Delta region or South South geopolitical zone and that its creation in the state was long over-due.
The group’s spokesman said, “if created, RISOPADEC would boost agriculture, small and medium scale businesses in the oil producing areas of the state,” adding that youths could as well be trained on skills that would help them and their families.
Expressing reservation on the performance of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the group said the commission had not lived up to the people’s expectation and recommended that RISOPADEC would go a long way in playing complementary roles in the state.
He, however, advised Governor Wike to appoint wlel-meaning indigenes to manage the commission instead of leaving it in the lands of politicians to avoid politicising the commission when created.
He explained further that RISOPADEC would also help in reducing youth related vices as good number of youths in the state would be engaged or trained to fashion out meaningful way of living.

Chris Oluoh