Oborevwori declares N’Delta one of world’s most polluted regions

Minister of Niger Delta Development, Abubakar Momoh (left); representative of President Bola Tinubu and Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu; Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma (right) during the 6th Meeting of the National Council on Niger Delta at the Government House, Asaba…yesterday. PHOTO: SAMUEL JIBUNOR

• Says functional refineries can solve Nigeria’s forex crisis
• Tinubu assures Nigerians better days ahead

Worried by the devastating oil spills caused by industrial activities related to the extraction and transportation of oil and gas, the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, has declared the Niger Delta region as one of the most polluted regions in the world.

Oborevwori, who made this observation, yesterday, in Delta, while declaring the 6th National Council on Niger Delta Development (NCND) open, noted that NCND comes with a great impact on the respective states of the region.

The governor, therefore, stressed the need for strategic and collaborative approaches between the federal and state governments to address the challenges and put the region on the path of economic development and growth.

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Monday Onyeme, the governor lamented that the region has experienced devastating oil spills caused by industrial activities over the years due to the high amount of spills.

Regretting that the region is prone to environmental and infrastructural challenges, as well as its attendant destruction of aquatic and agricultural products, he maintained that the lackluster construction of the East-West road, flooding and erosion, occasioned by the none dredging of the River Niger, as well as the abandonment of seaports, have led to the loss of economic and employment within the region.

In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Niger Delta Development (MNDD), Dr. Shuaib Belgore, urged participants to show commitment and allow their expertise to reflect in the outcome of the meetings that would lead to developmental strides in the region.

Also, Oborevwori has said that making refineries in Nigeria work would save the nation’s foreign exchange for fuel importation. The governor stated this when he received the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Turnaround Maintenance of Nigerian Refineries led by Ifeanyi Ubah at the Government House, Asaba.

He said that when the nation stops the importation of petroleum products, there would be less pressure on the naira against the dollar. Oborevwori, therefore, urged the Federal Government to expedite action in revitalising the nation’s refineries.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, assured Nigerians of better days ahead, as his administration will bring hope to all and sundry during this trying period through his renewed hope agenda.

Speaking at the 6th Meeting of NCND in Asaba, with the Theme, ‘Stimulating Strategies for Economic Growth and Development in the Niger Delta Region,’ Tinubu said that the focus of the council was in tandem with his administration’s objectives in the renewed hope agenda.

The President, who was represented by the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, appealed to the people of the region to be patient on the infrastructural development of the region, adding that his administration had developed a holistic plan for the overall development of the oil-rich region.

Oborevwori, however, charged the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to complete all ongoing and abandoned projects in the region for the benefit of the people.