DELTA State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Oma Djebah has tasked leaders of the Niger Delta region to exploit the avalanche of resources in the area to develop the zone. Apart from crude oil, the commissioner said that Niger Delta has other resources, especially human resources that are yearning for exploitation.

In a chat with The Guardian in Lagos, Djebah lamented that the good features of the region were not being highlighted and insisted that Niger-Delta needed re-branding.

He urged states of the area to emulate the re-branding programmes of Delta State (True Face of Delta) and Imo State (New Face of Imo) so as to attract investments.

"Let's re-brand the region. Many areas of the Niger Delta are peaceful but it is not being highlighted. Delta is peaceful and is home to development. Deltans are very resourceful and hardworking. They abound in all fields of human endeavour such as sports, business, the media, politics, etc. Other parts of Niger Delta also abound in resources. All these could be exploited to the betterment of the region," he said. If these resources were exploited, Djebah said that the region would have more peace, which in turn would boost development.

Asked how far the administration of Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan had gone in ensuring peace in Delta State, he said: "The foundation was laid in one of the very first moves of the governor. In less than 48 hours after being sworn-in, Dr. Uduaghan constituted and inaugurated the Inland Waterways Committee with the major task of monitoring and gathering intelligence on activities in the riverine areas of the state considered to be the hotbed of restiveness and militancy that have bedeviled the Niger Delta region for long." One of the gains of the move, he said, is the prevailing peace in the state.

"Delta State has witnessed relative peace with no record of hostage taking, disruption of production activities and militancy in recent times." In addition to the work of the committee, Djebah also linked the prevailing peace in Delta State to the government's empowerment of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) with 50 per cent of derivation revenue accruing to the state, implementation of people-oriented programmes like micro-credit schemes, health-care and investment in cottage and small-scale industries among others.

With peace, the commissioner stressed that foreign investors would come to the aid of the region. In Delta, he said, the relative peace accounted for the participation of Singaporean investors in the government's plan to develop the Koko, Sapele, Warri and Burutu ports and build new one - a 26 kilometre stretch on the coastline that on completion, can take at least four Deep Seaports and become the quickest route in and out of Nigeria.

"The Uduaghan administration is committed to attracting more investment into the state, especially in the non-oil sectors of the economy such that a situation of monotonous dependence on oil revenue in the face of volatile international energy market would give way following the introduction of diversified revenue sources.

The catch phrase, 'Delta is more than oil' is informed by the governor's determination to make the state's economy varied and vibrant," he said. It is on this score, he said that the state government had embarked on a series of projects on human capital development, infrastructure development, integrated development and an agricultural programme dubbed: Youth Empowerment through Agriculture (YETA).

Djebah said the participants in the YETA scheme were selected after a rigorous process of sorting out from the numerous applications received adding that the focus of the agriculture intervention programme was on crops, poultry, livestock and aquaculture (fishing), among others "The YETA-FSP is an eloquent demonstration of the Human Capital Development Agenda of the three-point agenda of the administration of Uduaghan.

The Delta State Government believes that resolving the security challenge facing the state is invariably tied to constructively and productively engaging the teeming youths in positive life-sustaining ventures that will in turn contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of the state's economy."

According to the Commissioner, the inauguration of the YETA scheme by the governor speaks volumes of the "unwavering commitment of the present administration to turn the tide of youth unemployment, restiveness and idleness to optimum productivity, responsible contributions to society and the economy generally."

Djebah said that the programme would be devoid of political influence during the implementation stages, adding that all qualified youths are encouraged to apply and partake in the programme, "which will be a continuous affair as far as this administration is concerned." He said: "It is pertinent at this juncture to reiterate that although we are in democratic dispensation, this programme is in no way partisan.

It is clearly devoid of politics because it is expected to ensure employment for the youths and enhance food security in the state." "As we prepare to kick-start the empowerment of youths in agriculture, let me appeal to the youths in particular to accept the challenge of taking a career in agriculture in our determined efforts to provide food for all Deltans.

We again urge all Deltans to accept and support this laudable programme in order to reduce our dependence on the depleting oil and gas resources when we know that agriculture has the capacity of becoming the major revenue earner for the state if properly harnessed and developed." ON criticisms that the governor had performed below expectation in spite of his claims, the commissioner said that Uduaghan's achievements could be verified.

He listed some of the achievements as: giving 15,000 pregnant women free antenatal care daily, empowering 71,270 Deltans through micro-credit schemes, prompt payment of salaries of civil servants, repackaging of the state-owned newspaper (The Pointer), and rehabilitation of 24 township roads in Asaba.

The rest include on-going construction of the Asaba airport and upgrade of the Osubi airstrip to international standard; provision of N2.2billion for the dredging of the 12 kilometer Orogodo River at Agbor in Ika East Local Council; commitment to the dredging of the Escravos Bar to enable bigger vessels to berth at the Warri Port; on-going construction of the multi million Naira state-of-the-art public Library in Asaba; and provision of 15, 000 personal computers including laptops and desktops to interested civil servants under the Computer for all Deltans Initiative (CADI).