WE HAVE NO COASTAL SURVEILANCE GUARD, SAYS UDUAGHAN " EMPOWERS 450 YOUTHS ON AGRIC PROGRAMME

As both the Federal and governments of the Niger Delta grapple with militant activities in the region, Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has said contrary to misconceptions in some quarters, the state has no coastal surveillance guard.

"What we have is a Delta State Waterways Security Committee whose job is to gather information and assist security agencies. We did not put up any coastal guard," Governor Uduaghan told participants from the Institute of Security Studies, Abuja, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Asaba.

Governor Uduaghan remarked the nearness of the committee's locations to the Operational bases of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) was purely logistical, adding that information passed onto the JTF by the Delta Waterways Security Committee, had helped in solving the problems of kidnapping and hostage taking.

While welcoming the current initiative of security agencies which recognize human capital development as pivotal in curtailing criminality, the governor identified the underdevelopment of the Niger Delta over the years as partly responsible for the upsurge in criminal activities.

Governor Uduaghan acknowledged that Delta State was witnessing problem of illegal bunkering and do called on security agencies to brace up to the challenge and their job since there can be no excuse for kidnapping and pipeline vandalisation.
The governor said the problem of illegal bunkering has an international component just as he said the communities, oil companies are involved in the illegal business that is crippling the oil industry.

According to him, "the vessels pass through channels to come to the point of bunkering, so security agencies have to take responsibility to ensure that the tankers do not come in for illegal activities."

The governor who contended that the stolen crude oil is sold in the international oil market and foreigners own the vessels as well as supplying the arms used in the region. He added that it takes technical expertise to be able to access the pipelines, saying that only those who work in the oil companies know when there is pressure in the pipelines and when to steal crude oil from them.
He said to also check illegal bunkering, searchlight should be beamed on the banks in tracing illegal bunkerers.

Earlier, the Team Leader and Director of Studies, Institute of Security Studies, Abuja, Mr. Adebayo Babalola, said the participants were on a study tour of Delta State.

Mr. Babalola who was a former Director of the State Security Service (SSS) in the state, stated that "Security has gone beyond arrest and detain" but was now people oriented.

He disclosed that while in the state, participants will have interface with officials of strategic ministries, just as he agreed that criminality will be reduced if youths are engaged at schools and through agriculture.

Meanwhile, Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has assured Deltans of his administration's commitment in building a state that can survive without oil by eradicating hunger through Agricultural programmes.

Dr. Uduaghan who gave this assurance when he inaugurated a four-week youth empowerment through Agriculture programme training at Songhai-Delta, Amukpe in Sapele Local Government said that the programme was the first in the series of programmes lined up to empower youths in the state.

He explained that the programme was aimed at building a state that would eradicate hunger and focus the youths on earning a living through self empowerment rather than depend solely on white collar jobs.

Governor Uduaghan disclosed that his administration has put on ground strategies that would boost the Agricultural sector and provide enough food for Deltans and empower the youths, stressing that the first of such programme was the empowerment of peasant farmers in the state.

He stated that the government has empowered 40,000 peasant farmers in the state by providing them with the necessary imputes and finance needed to improve on their business and feed their families and communities.

Emphasizing further he said " l believe that if this peasant farmers are empowered with what they need to have a big and successful farm, their proceeds will increase, with this they can feed their families well and still have enough food to sell thereby eradicating hunger from the state."

The governor said that the 2nd strategy to diversify the state source of revenue adopted by his administration was to develop youths in the state to acquire farming skills and use it as a source of livelihood.

He said the youths would be empowered with farming tools and working capital at the end of their training and assured them that the state government would buy up excess farm produce and re-activate existing processing mills in the state.

According to him " As you are here, just know that you are not here to only acquire farming skills, you are also here to acquire discipline to make you a successful farmer, it means that if you misbehave while here you will be expelled from the camp."

In a welcome address the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Dr. Ogaranya Tabs- Tabowei said the youth empowerment through Agriculture Programme is the most laudable and highest funded Agricultural programme since the inception of the state.

He commended Governor Uduaghan for approving the programme and congratulated the 450 youths for participating in the programme.