Consider sources of income outside oil, Uzodimma urges communities
The governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has urged residents of the state’s oil-producing towns to adopt a new mindset and stop seeing oil as their only source of income in order to survive the coming “dry up” crisis.
The charge was given by Uzodimma, represented by the Commissioner for Petroleum, Prof. Eugene Opara, at the opening of the one-day “Urashi Economic Summit 2022,” with the theme “Our People Beyond Oil,” on the grounds that diversification is now required to create a post-oil industry recovery economy inclusion plan. To help people who had lost money as a consequence of oil exploration and drilling operations, he suggested creating a trust fund that would be maintained by trustworthy members of the board.
In the meeting, which was presided over by Alfred Diette-Spiff, the former military governor of the old Rivers State and the Amanyanagbo of Twon Brass, Uzodimma encouraged the residents of the affected areas “to give peace an opportunity” and stop causing mayhem in their surroundings.
“People of Urashi, what is your current and future level of religious commitment? Oil is becoming cheaper. The governor expressed sympathy for the region’s suffering residents, saying: “If you travel to the oil producing area, you would realize that the people deserve more than what they are getting; yet, I am asking to our people to allow peace to rule. Let’s make an effort to comprehend all the government is doing for the benefit of the populace.
“The amount of oil we produce is declining. I want to state unequivocally that although our oil output is declining, it is also being taken off the roadside. I’m certain that peace will benefit our people. More than 2,000 Imo youngsters are available for training without the use of oil.
Diette-Spiff claimed for himself that the meeting was appropriate given the need for sources of income other than oil.
“With all the oil we have, I don’t see why it can’t provide us with industry,” he added. We should educate our children to become maritime engineers and captains. Nigeria has resources, both human and otherwise.
In response, the Commissioner for Niger Delta Affairs, Henry Okafor, and other summit participants maintained that oil-producing villages needed basic facilities and urged them to consider earnings from non-oil industries because they depended on oil profits.
Okafor echoed the sentiments of oil-producing areas when he said: “We need oil money to speak about moving away from dependence on oil and into non-oil sectors; we need money to teach our people to be employable. We ought to set aside money to compensate for spill-related damages.
