Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
Former Military Governor of Rivers State and the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass Alfred Diete Spiff has joined in the call for the restructuring of the country.
Alfred Diete Spiff during the second edition of Heroes of Ijaw Nation Award Night said the restructuring of the country will enable the Niger Delta to manage their economy.
The Amayanabo of Twon-Brass Alfred Diete Spiff also called for an action to end the soot that is ravaging the Niger Delta region.
He said the soot is dangerous to the health of people in the region.
The Chairman of the occasion ALBERT HORSFALL said the time has come for Niger Delta to wake up from their slumber.
He said that Niger Deltans should not be taken for granted in the scheme of things in Nigeria.
The Keynote Speaker and former President of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, BOBO SOFIRI BROWN called on Niger Delta to draft a development plan for the region.
He attributed the underdevelopment of the region to the lack of a draft policy for the region.
“There is a growing crisis of under-development that sustains mutual suspicion, tension and anxiety among politicians as well as other interest groups since 1999. Their actions routinely deflate the dignity of others and rob them of their humanity. But that is not all”
“Equally fundamental is that we started off in 1999 without a draft of what each part of the Niger Delta should strive to become, in order to contribute and complement the actualization of a total picture of a different Niger Delta”.
”The Niger Delta should be seen at home and outside the country, as a region that is the competitive flagship of a nation-leading Africa’s economy and a major emerging market player. We did not do that vital house-keeping before 1999″.
“This weakened our region as we were thrown into a lop-sided competition, which either by design or default appears primarily to consolidate the advantage of those who could achieve personal enrichment from their level of access to public wealth and decision making,” he said.
In the meantime, the President of Ijaw Republican Assembly-Patriotic Front CHARLES HARRY said the Heroes of Ijaw Nation Award Night was organized to honour Ijaws that have excelled in their respective endeavours.
Our correspondent reports that the Founder of Silverbird Group BEN MURRAY BRUCE was awarded Ijaw Legislator of the year 2018.
Other awardees include former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Albert Horsfall, Prof Charles Dokubo, HRH, King Alfred Diete Spiff, Chief Edwin Clark amongst others.
