The Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA), Senator Omotayo Alasoadura has re-echoed the intentions of the federal government in adopting the best approach towards addressing developmental challenges in the Niger Delta region.
According to a press statement from the Ministry, the Minister stated these while welcoming participants to the Pre-Council Seminar of the 4th National Council on Niger Delta with the theme ‘Achieving Uncommon Development in the Niger Delta Region: Roadmap and Strategy’ on Monday in the Garden City of Port Harcourt, River State.
Sen. Alasoadura noted that the National Council on Niger Delta was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as a forum to seek the buy-in and participatory approach of stakeholders towards achieving the mandate of the Ministry which main responsibility is to manage and coordinate, promote and initiate development policies and processes in the Niger Delta.
Speaking further, the Minister of State explained that the MNDA which was created as a direct response to the series of agitations by the people of the region, is presently executing several intervention projects designed to improve the deplorable state of the region.
Emphasizing on the theme of the Council, he said “the meeting is one of the strategies adopted by the ministry to further deepen our engagement with Government Agencies and Stakeholders to promote the general well-being of the industrious & hospitable people of the Niger Delta”.
In his speech, the Permanent Secretary, MNDA, Dr. Baboyo Ardo noted that the Technical papers earmarked for discussion during the Pre-Council Session were carefully selected in line with the Ministry’s focal areas of interventions and the sub-themes meant to address identified challenges of the region.
Some of the seminar papers include: ‘Establishment of Environmental Early Warning System for Niger Delta Region; Roadmap Strategy Towards Uncommon Agricultural Development in the Niger Delta Region; Roadmap to Opening up the Niger Delta Region for Uncommon Socio-Economic Development.
Others include Housing and Urban Settlement Development: The Catalyst for Revitalization of the Economic Base of the Niger Delta Region; Coordinating Development Planning and Implementation in the Niger Delta Region, The issues, the Challenges and the Methodologies; Harmonisation of the Niger Delta Regional Development Master plan and Niger Delta Action into a Single Regional Development Strategy’.
