By Emmanuel Ujah

The Muhammadu Buhari administration is promoting a new way of thinking and engagement that will secure the development of the Niger Delta and the entire country, acting President Yemi Osinbajo, has said.

According to him, the new approach, which he called the New Vision, involves an active and effective collaboration between the government, the private sector and the communities. This approach, he stated, ensures that “we finish whatever we start.”

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo

Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, in a statement, yesterday, said Prof. Osinbajo spoke at a meeting with members of a delegation from Bayelsa State, who were at the Aso Rock Villa to discuss the $3.6billion Brass Fertilizer and Petro-Chemical Company that is expected to come on stream soon.

The delegation which included executives of the company, was led by Governor Seriake Dickson.

Lamenting that only 12 per cent completion rate was recorded in several of the projects undertaken by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in the past years, while the rest were abandoned, Osinbajo said, “Sometimes projects are designed not to succeed, but just for some people to make money.”

He, however, noted that “a new way of thinking is emerging,” pointing to effective collaboration with the private sector, as he cited the example of the NLNG as one instance of such effective collaborations.

“The Buhari administration is committed to finishing whatever we start. At the end of the day, we shall ensure that,” he said, adding that the oil-producing communities have tremendous potentials.

Commending the Bayelsa State governor for his proactive efforts, the acting President commended the collaboration that is ongoing regarding the Brass company.

Said he: “This is what we describe as the New Vision: partnership between the Federal Government, the states, the communities and the private sector. This is the new way of thinking that is emerging, the New Vision.”

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, described the idea of the Brass Fertilizer and Petro-Chemical firm as “a game changer,” adding that such ideas have the potential to change the economic model in the Niger Delta.

The acting President also received a delegation from the Seed Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria, SEEDAN led by its President Mr. Richard Olafare and the Director-General of the National Agricultural Seed Council, Dr. P.O.Ojo.

Prof. Osinbajo told the delegation that the Federal Government would do much more in the area of Agriculture, stressing that fertilizer and seed inputs are vital for the “agricultural revolution” that the Buhari administration is delivering.