Youths under the aegis of Niger Delta Youth Leaders Assembly (NDYLA), including ex-militants and non-militant youths, on Tuesday applauded the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, for his relentless efforts to restore peace to the region. They therefore pledged to work with him to achieve President Muhammadu Buhari’s new roadmap for the oil sector and the Niger Delta.

The endorsement is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a strategic meeting held in Yenegoa, the Bayelsa State capital, and signed by Mr. Amaibi Hornby and Mr. Kenedy West for NDYLA. NDYLA said the meeting brainstormed on how to fashion out a proactive approach towards sustaining the already existing peace in the region, appraised the achievements recorded by Kachikwu and the GMD NNPC. The group noted that the duo have worked hard to ensure that the vision of President Buhari for the Niger Delta region is brought to fruition.

According to the communiqué, Kachikwu in addition to instituting reforms that have positively repositioned the oil industry, has also made conscious efforts to rally round his kinsmen towards restoring peace in the troubled region.

NDYLA said: “As youth leaders in the Niger Delta, We are fully aware of the steps taken by the Petroleum Minister to restore sanity in the oil and gas sector. The successful launch of the ‘7 bigwins’, a new oil sector roadmap which identifies the development of the Niger Delta, as crucial to the progress of the petroleum sector.

“Efforts by the minister to revamp the nation’s ailing refineries are also a big plus. We equally appreciate the minister for championing the China, India, Eni deals which will create employment for thousands of skilled and unskilled youths across the region.”

The communiqué further commended the ongoing fact finding tour by Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to the states of the Niger Delta with the aim of having firsthand knowledge of the peculiar nature of the oil producing areas of the region. According to them, the tour which was made possible based on series of earlier consultations by the Petroleum Minister will facilitate the peace process in the Niger Delta. The Youth leaders, however, want an extension of the visit to Bayelsa and Rivers to enable him get firsthand information on the situation in strategic oil communities such as Koluama, Brass, Ezetu, Sangana, Bonny, Soku and Omoku. The youth leaders appealed to President Buhari to speed up the inauguration of the Dialogue Committee to demonstrate his administration’s seriousness in restoring peace in the region. They maintained that their objective was to transform Nigeria's oil industry while taking into consideration the need to speed up human and infrastructure development of the region that lays the golden egg.

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