News
Dikio Justifies Training Focus On Food Security, Blue Economy
Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), has explained that the scheme was tailoring its training of ex-agitators on food security and blue economy to maximise the economic comparative advantage of the region and avoid overdependence on external sources.
Dikio insisted that the oil industry, the marine sector and agriculture remained the dominant economic features of the Niger Delta and must be harnessed to attain self-dependence.
He said: “The dominant sectors in this part of the world, for me, are two; the oil industry and the whole blue economy; the marine sector and everything marine.
“That is why under my management, we are focusing on those two areas plus food security. If you can feed yourself, you will be independent of others. And today, food is used as a political weapon.
“We cannot continue to neglect those things that are indigenous to our environment. The petroleum industry is key, and we must get the best out of it, including other areas I mentioned”.
The amnesty boss spoke when he visited the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Effurun, and the Sapele Power PLC both in Delta State.
He insisted that in the next few years, the Niger Delta would produce critical mass of entrepreneurs and skilled individuals that would be most sought after in Nigeria and across the world.
Dikio said he was confident that the specialised training model he instituted for ex-agitators popularly known as Train, Employ and Mentor (TEM) would turn the beneficiaries into entrepreneurs.
The administrator said his mission to the two facilities was to expand the ongoing partnerships that had been built with private and public sector institutions for the training of ex-agitators.
He said: “It is in the spirit of the partnership we are building around that is why we are here. The imperative for this mission is to see first-hand what you have on ground. Quite frankly, I like the fact that you are certification-minded. I tell people that skill is key. So, we are going a notch higher with previous training so that we can train people to become specialists”.
Expressing confidence that the PTI would deliver the best training to the next set of delegates of PAP, Dikio also said he was impressed with the courses offered by the institution, and the collaboration with Glasgow Energy and Engineering Limited.
He added that the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between PAP and PTI would be reviewed in line with the present realities.
In his remarks, the Principal and Chief Registrar of the PTI, Dr. Henry Adimula thanked Dikio for the visit, and commended him for his achievements since he came on board, which he said has made the Niger Delta region very peaceful.
Adimula, who was represented by the Director of Engineering, Dr. Samuel Onoji, said PTI had since its establishment in 1973, lived up to its mandate of training people for the oil and gas industry.
He stressed that the amnesty programme has helped to engage thousands of youths in various fields, and pledged that the PTI would continue to be worthy partner to strengthen the programme.
By: Akujobi Amadi
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.