As the Federal Government seeks ways of curbing the restiveness in the Niger-Delta region, Minister of States for Niger-Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe, in this interview with Godfrey Bivbere, speaks on solutions to the problem, what his ministry is doing and the place of the Maritime Acad

MILITANTS

emy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron in this effort.
Excerpt:

You have just finished the tour of the facilities in the academy, what is your assessment of what you have seen?
I think it is a great institution. I just told the rector that I have gone round a lot of training institutions all over the world and I said that even in the advanced countries, when I compare what I have seen here, this place is far better than some of them that I have seen. So it’s a great place and I think that it has to be utilized very well by the federal government, state government and private sector.
What do you think is the major challenge of the academy?

I think is funding, If they have the funds, I can anticipate that they have the right caliber of people that can manage the place. So if they have reasonable funds they will be able to turn this place to a first class training institution in the world.

Sir, you said the major thing the academy need is funds, what are the things you think the institution needs to put in place?
Well, we need additional workshops of international standard with the equipment that they have not gotten, they should get them and then they need class rooms, hostels to accommodate students. We expect that this place when it has fully become world class, people from all over the world will be coming.

The dormitory we have to improve on it and the entire area. I also expect that in due cause, they should have facilities for under water welding because what I have seen in this place, there are a lot of opportunities for the oil industry and under water welding is a very important sector in the oil industry.

The marine industry, of cause you know this is the Niger Delta, we expect that a lot of our seafarers, Captains of ships would like to be trained in this place.

As the Minister of state for the Niger Delta and you know there is a lot of unemployment in the Niger Delta. In your opinion, what is the potential of a fully develop academy like this for Nigerian youths and youths of the region in particular?

Well, let me tell you about the determination of Mr. President to ensure that things are no longer kept the way they were in the entire Niger Delta. He wants peace, he wants development in the Niger Delta. The President has told every body all over the world that the people of the Niger Delta and the region need better treatment and that he has come out to ensure that there is development in this area.

And that is why, he has said it over and over that the people of this area should give him peace so that he can come in to develop the area. And that was what led to the amnesty to militants and the next thing is, how do we engage these militants?

They have to be trained and we want all of them to be trained in oil and gas so that they can work in the oil industry. In the past, they have said it over and over that the youth in Niger Delta don’t have certificate, don’t have skills and so if this place is developed to the standard that we expect, it will train the people in oil and gas, in maritime industry. So that the issue of people not having certificates will not arise and this place will turn out thousands of youths with the needed requirement to be engaged in the oil industry and the maritime industry.

Finally Sir, what is the vision of your Ministry for the Niger Delta area?
Well if you come to my office you will see the dream that I have for the Niger Delta, I have put in pictures and that is what I will also discuss with the President and fortunately the Minister and myself are from the Niger Delta.

We are all given birth to here, we drank this same water, schooled here and so we know the problems of this place and our vision is to see that the Niger Delta is turn to a place were people will come and have all kind of things you can think of. You know Niger Delta, when you go outside and you talk of Niger Delta, people always know Niger Delta in terms of oil and gas but Niger Delta is more than oil and gas.

You have Tourism, the maritime industry is rich. Look at this area (pointing at the jetty area of the institution) some tourist areas … recently I was with the President at Trinidad and Tobego and they told me they were taking me to a beach, and when I got the beach, it was like one of those small places and it can not be compared to what we have in Niger Delta. So there a lot of opportunities. That is the vision of Mr President, why he created the ministry of the Niger Delta, to turn things around. So that this place, people will want to come to this place to invest and provide the needed opportunities for the people of Niger Delta and Nigerians as a whole.