The curtain was drawn last Friday on the 1st Andoni-Opobo-Nkoro
Economic Zone Development Summit, 2012 which took place at the Hotel
Presidential, Port Harcourt.

Initiated and sponsored by the member representing Andoni,
Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Dakuku
Peterside, the initiative  represented an
attempt by a people to take their fate in their own hands.

The Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro geographical area today, is a major
oil and gas producing zone whose natural endowments  contribute to the nation’s financial  mainstay.

Prior to the discovery of the liquid  gold as the crude oil is often referred to,
the people of Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro had thrived on their natural endowments in
the era of the palm produce trade.

They were a people bound together  by common geographic, economic and
developmental challenges until divisive politics both at the national level and
in the geographical area weakened the bonds that bound them together, virtually
destroying their individual and collective potentials for growth and
development.

For many  an Andoni,
Opobo or Nkoro indigene, especially the merchants of politics of division and
doomsday  prophets,   a rapprochement, the magnitude of which
was  achieved by the  summit under review was  impossible
and unthinkable.

The remarkable success of the 1st Andoni Opobo-Nkoro
Economic  Zone  Development
Summit, 2012 in aggregating the challenges, and aspirations of the zone
through their peoples –youths, intellectuals and community leaders is therefore
worth celebrating.

The quality of speakers, discussants and presentations at
the two-day summit is enough to transform the zone into an economic giant in
Nigeria, if only, ideas without works avails anything.

If however, the people of the zone indeed adopt and
implement  the recommendations of the summit
in  a phased, consistent and  pragmatic manner, then the theme of the  summit-Shared responsibility, shared
prosperity would have been realised.

Participants  were
agreed on the need for the summit to be an annual event that would continue to
bring people of the zone together to assess achievements on set targets.

They also whole-heartedly accepted the proposal by the
Deputy Speaker, House of  Representatives
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha that the summit  be subsequently hosted in either  Andoni, Opobo or Nkoro on a rotational basis
instead of Port Harcourt, to  enable
participants appreciate the challenges of the zone.

Amaopusenibo Bobo Brown may have set the tone for the
summit, when at the first plenary session, he noted that politics of divide and
rule had torn the people of the zone apart.

Brown, former National President of the Nigerian Institute
of Public Relations who spoke as a discussant on “Local Economy For
Andoni-Opobo –Nkoro”, stated that it was
foolhardy for the people of the zone to think that  they have a population that could sustain any
massive production.

Reason? They have over 300,000 impoverished  people who have become  economic refugees, he said.

He however anchored the benefit of the summit on its timeliness
in putting people of the area in position to become relevant and competitive in
state and national economy, especially in this era of global economic  recession.

According to him, such foresight as displayed by the
convener of the summit was what the local economy needed and not going back to
the old economic activities of the area.

Both Engr Ernest Nwapa, Executive  Secretary, Nigeria Content Development and
Monitoring Board and Prof Michael Onyekonwu, Director, Institute of Petroleum
Studies, University of Port Harcourt stressed the need for people of  the zone to equip their youths with the
relevant training and skills to be active participants in the competitive
oil/gas sector business.

Nwapa noted that 98 per cent of the  nation’s oil blocs are   in the hands of the  oil majors-Shell, Agip, Mobil, Chevron etc
and that the Nigerian Content Act was designed to make Nigeria a great oil
producing nation through the development of her refining capacity and a  skilled workforce.

He said that the Nigerian Content  Fund which
will be launched on October 24, was dedicated to human capital
development  in the oil/gass sector  pointing out that when Nigeria is able to
develop her refining capacity and robust
supply chain  then youths that
possess relevant  skills will benefit.

In his contribution, Prof Onyekonwu stressed the need for
community involvement in the oil industry business through the empowerment  of youths with relevant education and skills.

The oil industry is driven by money, technology and people,
he noted, and charged people of the zone to develop their youths so that they
could actively participate.

While expressing disappointment  that people of the zone have not  had one
person trained at the Institute of Petroleum Studies, University of Port
Harcourt in which he is director, Onyekonwu canvassed the award of scholarships
to youths  of the zone who secure
admission in the world’s best10 universities, as a way of developing skilled
manpower relavant for their participation in the oil industry business.

Engineer Sampson Ngerebara, a former Commissioner for Works
in Rivers  State in his presentation
xrayed the role of infrastructure in driving sustainable economic development
in the zone and strategies to achieve them.

While  asserting that
the challenges were intimidating, Ngerebara recommended among other measures,
the Eastern  Obolo model in which a
synergy between the people and operators/project promoters culminated in the
establishment of a refinery in the area with
spill-over  socio-economic
benefits and development.

Ngerebara  believed
that when people of the Andoni-Opobo-Nkoro economic zone become united, focused
and determined in their quest to use their endowments to develop their
territory, multinational companies and others interested in their resources
will partner with them to bring investment and development to the zone.

Many seasoned and celebrated intellectuals and professionals
enriched the summit with their cerebral presentations.

They included the Head and Resident Representative, United
Nations Institute for Training and Research, Nigeria, Dr Larry Boms; Professor
of Development Sociology and Director Centre for Ethnic and Conflict Studies,
University of Port Harcourt, Prof Mark Anikpo and the  Executive Director, Rivers State
Sustainable  Development  Agency, Mr. Noble Egbert Pepple.

Others included the President, Uptonville Oil and Gas
Institute, Prof Winston Bellgam, a seasoned petroleum engineering professional,
Engr Don Boham, Director-General, Greater Port
Harcourt City Development Authoritiy, Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam and a
Consultant Pediatrician at the
University of Port  Harcourt, Prof
Alice Nte among others.

The success of the summit is a testimonial to the vision of
the convener, Hon Dakuku Peterside to reposition the zone to be relevant in
contemporary national economic order.

It  represents the
will of a newbreed politician and patriot to dismantle and replace the
discredited and archaic politics of divide and rule with politics of
inclusiveness, shared responsibility, and shared prosperity.

The youthful politician who the Deputy Speaker, House of
Representatives described as one of the thinkers and eggheads in the House,
received lavish encomiums  and blessings
from participants, elders and leaders of thought  from the zone for blazing a trail in the
socio-economic affairs of the impoverished but richly endowed zone.

Accolades were also poured on the chairman,
Andoni-Opobo-Nkoro Economic  Zone  Development
Foundation Board of Trustees, Sir Emiyarei Ikuru and his members for the
planning and execution of the summit.

What is left to be seen is how, over the  coming years, the product of the summit will
lead to the realization of an integrated economic zone, providing attractive
investment   opportunities and nourishing
the people and their landscape with the good life and infrastructural
development as envisioned  by the
convener and stakeholders.