By Michael Peter, The Sight News
Abuja: Despite insinuations that the Maritime University, Okerenkoko in Delta State may never kickoff, the Federal Government has said academic work will commence by the next academic session.
Making this disclosure in Abuja on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs and the Chairman Presidential Amnesty Program, General Paul Boroh said the Federal Government sees the project as part of its strategy in bringing sustainable peace in the Niger Delta region, adding that the structures have been built and the Vice Chancellor, appointed.
In his words, “There are insinuations that the federal government has jettisoned the idea of the Maritime University in Okerenkoko in Delta State. I want to tell you now that by the next academic session, that university will commence academic work. The federal government has spent so much efforts and we went there to see things for ourselves.
“In one of the meetings we had at the villa, the VC was there to say how far the University had gone and when it will commence academic work”.
Boroh also said that the Federal government has tasked the NDDC and the Amnesty office to embark on quick impact projects across the oil bearing communities in order to attain relative peace in these areas.
He said, “In the area of quick impact projects, I have discussed with the MD of NDDC, so we could have collaboration towards setting up these quick impact projects in the Niger Delta region particularly the oil bearing communities”.
He also disclosed that about 508 ex-agitators have been trained in different areas of agriculture ranging from fishery, cropping and others, adding that the Amnesty programme is on course.
He stated that the recent Strategic Work plan for the Niger Delta will ensure all inclusiveness in the oil business, providing over 10,000 youths in the oil bearing communities, with pipeline surveillance jobs in their various communities.
“Those agitators in Ondo will be part of those to be accommodated in the Federal Government all inclusive pipelines surveillance initiative. The youths in those oil bearing communities will either benefit from the surveillance initiative or the modular refinery.
“All these will go a long way to ensuring that the youths are duly engaged. These restiveness displayed by those Ondo ex-agitators by kidnapping those children is because they are not gainfully employed. Once that is taken care of the restiveness will end”.
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