A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has released 30 points that he said stand President Muhammadu Buhari out as some one with equal regard as a Niger Delta son.
Eze, who disclosed this in a statement he issued on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, noted that unveiling these serious interventions by the APC administration is to correct the erroneous impression in some quarters that President Buhari has done nothing to improve the region, not minding that it is the region that lays the golden egg through which the economy of Nigeria is sustained.
Eze describes Amaechi as a simple and unassuming leader who detests shedding of human blood for any reason
The APC chieftain listed approval of refund of N1.3 trillion to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), 44 modular refinery licenses, Maritime University, Transport University in Ubima (Rivers State), Historic Bonny Road, as major ones
According to him, the 30 points are;
1. Sitting and construction of the Federal University of Transportation in Ubima, Ikwerre council area of the state: The University to be built by China Civil and Construction Company (CCECC) is part of the federal government’s efforts to develop qualified manpower that will manage the many railways facilities across the country and other transportation facilities. Apart from the University of Transportation in Rivers State, a similar university had earlier been approved to be sited at Daura, Kastina state.
2. Completion and commissioning of the International Wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in Rivers State.
3. Construction of an industrial park, which benefits from start to completion and inauguration, would be enormous to Rivers state and her people, to be sited on 10,000 acres of land on which the complex, an envisaged city on its own, would stand.
4. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval of contracts of N47Bn for road projects in the country, including redesigning and reconstruction of the Aba/Port-Harcourt section of the Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway.
5. Dredging of Port Harcourt Seaport and provision of navigational aids for Escravos, at the sum of N13Bn.
6. Commencement of the implementation of the Ogoni clean-up exercise and the execution of the multi-billion naira Bodo/Ogoni-Bonny Road project, which when completed “would open up the economic potentials of the Niger Delta region beyond the shores of Nigeria, all in Rivers state”.
7. President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has started the release of over one trillion naira owed the Niger Delta Development Corporation (NDDC) by previous federal administrations, including the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to assist the body complete most of its projects in Rivers state and other states in the Niger Delta region.
8. Rivers State benefited from the unprecedented allocation of over N125Bn out of the N8.612 trillion appropriation bill presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 to the National Assembly to fund capital projects in 2018 in the Niger Delta region.
9. Rivers State benefited from the N53.89Bn earmarked for the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and N71.2 billion for NDDC for capital projects, also to benefit from the budgetary allocation for the Niger Delta Amnesty programme retained at N65Bn, with the budgetary allocation of N17.32 billion earmarked for the completion of the East-West Road.
10. Rivers State benefited from the Maritime University located at Okerenkoko in Delta State, with N5 billion budgeted in the 2018 budget for its formal take off. This is a University aimed to assist in the development and emancipation of the Niger Delta region.
11. To demonstrate the seriousness over the full implementation of the Ogoni clean-up exercise and the execution of the multi-billion naira Bodo/Ogoni-Bonny road project, budgetary provisions were all made in the 2018 budget, which when completed, would open up the economic potential of the Niger Delta region beyond the shores of Nigeria, all in Rivers state.
12. The APC-led federal government, apart from the above-named projects, embarked upon the following projects: the Calabar-Lagos Rail Line that cuts across Rivers state, the renovation/reconstruction of both Enugu-Port Harcourt Road and the West-East Road, the renovation of the Afam Power plant in Rivers State, resumption and reconstruction of the Enugu-Port Harcourt rail line, etc. All these projects were abandoned by PDP governments. It also includes appointment of sons and daughters of the region into key and crucial ministries and agencies.
13. PMB’s administration also ensured that indigenes of the region are placed on full academic scholarships so that they can have access to quality education with monthly stipends.
14. Under PMB’s administration, approvals for the establishment of modular refineries across the nine states of the Niger-Delta and a total of 38 licenses have been issued, covering high-scale refineries of 50,000 to 250,000 barrels per day.
15. About 10 of the modular refineries have secured their permit to construct and two of these 10 refineries are already under construction, and were completed by the end of 2018 under the Buhari-led administration.
16. The Buhari-led administration has ensured the resumption of construction works on abandoned projects awarded to different contractors across the Niger-Delta since 2006, including the all-important East-West Road.
17. The President Muhammadu Buhari administration set up the presidential initiative to boost agriculture and industry in the nine states of the Niger-Delta and Enugu, an initiative to revamp moribund industries in the region and to also inject new life into the agricultural sector.
18. The Buhari-led administration has completed six cassava processing plants in Bayelsa, Rivers, Abia, Ondo, Cross River and Imo states.
19. Under the President Buhari administration, more than 700 youths and women have acquired skills in different areas of business, trade and craft.
20. Also, 130 youths in the Niger Delta were trained on poultry, aquaculture, crop production and were given N1 million naira each by the Buhari-led administration.
21. In the Niger-Delta region 214 women who specialize in poultry and snail production were given between N350,000 to N500,000 each by the Buhari-led administration.
22. Another 198 women and youths in the Niger-Delta region were trained on ICT & business hub, poultry & fish production under PMB’s administration.
23. Still, 60 youths from the Niger-Delta region were trained on assemblage and repair of phones under President Buhari’s administration.
24. Under PMB’s administration, no fewer than 275 youths in the Niger-Delta region have benefited from the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and its joint venture agro skills acquisition through the Green Rivers Project Scheme.
25. The Vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo paid a visit to the Niger Delta region where he met with their elders and engaged them in discussions that restored peace to the region.
26 Under President Buhari’s Administration, the abandoned AKK pipeline that will enable delivery of gas from the south into the north and open up gas delivery to homes was repaired and restored.
27. PMB’s Administration was able to work with the Niger-Delta leaders hence, the PANDEF group was set up which makes it easy to have a body that could engage the federal government.
28. The Buhari-led administration came up with the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Programme aimed at addressing the exit of gas flaring in the Niger Delta region.
29. President Buhari’s Administration has put up a framework for community-based participation in the protection of oil and gas pipelines, and oil and gas assets in the Niger Delta region.
30. Key appointments to sons and daughters from the region.
