THE SUN

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has called for the intervention of the United Nations in the development of the Niger Delta region.

Akpabio made the call when he received in audience, the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande.

Muhammad-Bande was accompanied to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs by the immediate past Deputy Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, and current Director, International Organisations Department (IOD), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Samson Itegboje.

Areas listed by Akpabio for the intervention of the United Nations were skills acquisition, flood remediation, education, health, amongst others.

Akpabio told Muhammad-Bande that the most important thing is that the skills acquisition centres in the region have to be utilised, saying that with the requisite skills, the people of the Niger Delta region will be able to utilise the centres.

Akpabio also said the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is involved in housing construction, disclosing that flooding, particularly whenever Cameroon open their dams once in a year, it affects the entire Niger Delta and most of the communities suffer a lot of flood.

“So, whatever you can do in terms of flood remediation and assistance, it will help us also.”

Akpabio further called for the United Nations’ assistance in the area of education and told Muhammad-Bande that whenever there are educational opportunities, the Ministry will send some wards to attend the United Nations’ programmes.

This, Akpabio stated, would expose the people of the region to good behaviours, adding that when they get exposed to the right attitude and the right behaviours, they will return and practice same in the country.

The former governor of Akwa Ibom State also said healthcare delivery system is a problem in the region and called for intervention in the area of production of malaria vaccines just like the world has done in terms of COVID-19.