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Diete-Spiff canvasses legitimate wealth in Niger Delta

By Ann Godwin (PortHarcourt) and Uzoma Nzeagwu, (Awka)
27 July 2016   |   4:06 am
Former governor of old Rivers State, Alfred Diete-Spiff, has condemned criminality in the Niger Delta region especially, pipeline vandalism and oil theft, saying it does not mean well to the region and the nation at large.
Alfred Diete-Spiff

Alfred Diete-Spiff

• Group urges dialogue with agitators

Former governor of old Rivers State, Alfred Diete-Spiff, has condemned criminality in the Niger Delta region especially, pipeline vandalism and oil theft, saying it does not mean well to the region and the nation at large.

He said the Niger Delta region must do everything legitimately possible to come out of the existing poverty in the region and not necessarily waiting for government to do all things.

This is coming as a group, Igboezue International Association of Nigeria/Diaspora urged President Muhammadu Buhari to open dialogue with leaders of various agitators to resolve whatever problems they have raised, believing that dialogue would help to move Nigeria forward.

The National Publicity Secretary, Amafor Chukwunwe Charles said the group has identified dialogue as the solution to all agitations rocking the country.

The former governor made the remark at a one-day forum organised by the StarDelta, an indigenous firm in Port Harcourt.

He said opportunities were available in production of mushrooms because they can be scientifically produced for export as a cash crop and create an avenue to earn foreign exchange.

Diete-Spiff also pointed out that the Niger Delta region had given so much to the Nigerian nation with a lot of manpower but got nothing in return.

He noted that the StarDelta has a rich ambition to galvanise the potential in the oil-rich region if only it could work in unity.

The Managing Director of StarDelta, Peter Okocha Jnr, lamented that the region has done much to Nigeria but get little in return.

He maintained that through unity, the region can be transformed considerably, stating that there is no development in the oil bearing communities. But he hopes that the firm would wipe away the region’s tears as it understands the people’s plight better.

Chukunwe stressed that dialogue would give an opportunity for everybody to come to a round table to air their problems, adding, “The President and his lieutenants can come to terms with agitators: Biafra, Niger Delta militants, Boko Haram etc. so that everybody would sheathe their swords for national development.”

Citing the Biafra case, he said the Southeast zone is clamouring for equal representation in government and equal sharing of national resources.

Amafor who was accompanied by the National President, Pius U, Okoye explained that the association stands as the mouth-piece of Ndigbo, contributes to the socio-economic development of Ndigbo and Nigeria in general, adding that the NEC meeting was attended by representatives from Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states.

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