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Former Delta State Governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori has changed the tone for resource control by declaring the Niger Delta region will no longer make demands for 30% derivation from the federal government (FG), but that the region will soon begin demanding 100% derivation.
TheNewsGuru reports Ibori made the declaration at the Colloquium/Book Presentation in honour of Professor Godini Gabriel Darah which held on Wednesday at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Conference Centre, Effurun.
“We shall no longer demand 30% derivation from the FG but 100%,” the former Delta State Governor stated in his remarks at the Colloquium/Book Presentation, while also stressing that the Niger Delta region has suffered enough neglect.
At the event, Ibori described Prof. Darah , who recently retired from Delta State University, Abraka, on the attainment of the retirement age of 70, as an astute academic, and said the Ogberianrien contributed immensely to the success of his administration as Governor of Delta State from 1999 to 2007.
He urged the Ogberianrien (Prof. Darah) not to rest on his oars, but channel his wealth of experience to address the numerous challenges facing the Niger Delta region. Ibori identified a major problem of the region to be unemployment and said it is the reason the illicit business of oil bunkering was flourishing.
“Prof. Darah, I challenge you that the job is not done yet. The other time I was in Oloibiri in Rivers, people cannot breathe well because of the activities of both legal and illegal oil activities.
“We have generic solutions to the problem and one of it is unemployment. So we need to go into the region and find a way to deal with the problems. It is a serious problem, we need to talk to our people to find a way to deal with it, if not, we pray that we will have a population that grows and not deplete,” he said.
TheNewsGuru reports the Colloquium/Book Presentation was chaired by the former Delta State Governor, while the incumbent governors of Delta and Bayelsa States, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and Rt. Hon. Seriake Dickson, were ably represented as special guests of honour.
The book titled Scholarship and Commitment: Essays in Honour of G. G. Darah was edited by the trio of Sunny Awhefeada, Enajite Ojaruega and Peter Omoko, and published by Lagos-based publishing outfit, Malthouse.
Poet and political essayist, Mr. Odia Ofeimun reviewed the book, while Professor Sunny Akpotor, Dr. William Ehwarieme and Yinka Odumakin served as colloquium discussants.
Other dignitaries present at the event included former deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, Mrs Cecilia Ibru, the academia and traditional rulers, among others.