• Demands urgent infrastructure upgrade, environmental remediation after 70 years of oil pollution
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called on the federal government to urgently address the deteriorating state of infrastructure in the Niger Delta, warning that the region’s road network has reached a level that requires national emergency attention.
The forum made the demand on Monday in a statement issued to commemorate Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
PANDEF congratulated President Bola Tinubu, the federal government, and Nigerians on the occasion.
The forum, in the statement signed by its National Chairman, Ambassador Godknows B. Igali, urged the federal government to intensify efforts to remediate the Niger Delta environment, which it said had endured the effects of oil pollution and gas flaring for about 70 years.
The forum said greater federal attention to infrastructure and environmental restoration had become imperative, particularly given the difficult terrain of the region and the importance of the Niger Delta to the Nigerian economy.
“PANDEF reminds the federal government to continue to pay greater attention to the state of infrastructure in the Niger Delta, especially the road network which has reached a proportion of national emergency,” the statement said.
It also stressed the need to place environmental remediation in the region “on the front burner”, citing the prolonged impact of oil pollution and gas flaring on communities across the Niger Delta.
PANDEF commended the governors of the six South-south states for what it described as their efforts in infrastructural development, human welfare, and social development, despite the region’s challenging geographical conditions.
The forum stated that many parts of the South-south were waterlogged, making infrastructure development particularly challenging.
It also acknowledged the contributions of federal intervention agencies, including Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Niger Delta Basin Development Authority, and the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), to development initiatives in the region.
According to PANDEF, the interventions of the agencies remain important to addressing some of the development challenges confronting the Niger Delta.
The forum, however, maintained that the scale of infrastructure and environmental challenges confronting the region required sustained attention from the federal government beyond existing interventions.
It called for greater commitment to the development of road infrastructure, stating that improved connectivity remains critical to the economic and social development of the region.
PANDEF also used the anniversary to acknowledge the efforts of political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, women, and youths in promoting peace and development across the South-south.
The forum congratulated Tinubu and Nigerians on the 66th anniversary of the country’s independence and urged citizens to continue to pray for the peace and progress of Nigeria.
Quoting Psalm 121:1 of the Holy Bible, PANDEF said, “Unless the Lord build the house, its builders labour in vain.”
The organisation wished Nigerians peaceful celebrations and continued progress under the guidance of God.