THE NATION

Governors of the Niger Delta region must diversify the economy to depend less on oil revenue, Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide Secretary-General Alfred Kemepado said on Sunday.

This is as the Niger Delta Self-Determination Movement (NDSDM) Convener, Annkio Briggs, said the falling oil prices due to the coronavirus pandemic could affect the oil-dependent states.

They spoke in separate interviews with our reporter.

Kemepado said: “Niger Delta governors should turn a new leaf and begin to live like the federal allocations do not exist.

“They have the provisions to create laws within their states that will enable them to take advantage of the economic potential of their states.

“They must tap into the gas potential of their states, especially Bayelsa that had the equivalence of gas like Qatar.

“They must come up with solutions to clean their environment and prepare their states for agriculture.

“They must take advantage of oil multinationals that are still operating to begin to build ICT hubs, go into technology.

“They should rewrite their state laws to derive these benefits. They must begin to take serious their BRACE Commission to take advantage of their comparative advantages.