Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday resumed the peace talks with oil communities with a visit to Yenogoa, Bayelsa, pledging rapid development for oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta region.
Osinbajo, who was speaking at the stakeholders meeting during the dialogue, noted that the oil industry was the dominant source of foreign exchange earnings for the country, adding that it was high time it started adding value to crude oil.
According to him, adding value to crude oil will bring enormous economic benefits to oil bearing communities.
Osinbajo assured that the Federal Government was committed to rapid development of oil communities in the Niger Delta region and urged stakeholders to support the peace efforts.
He noted that the oil communities were fundamental to the development plans of the Federal Government and urged stakeholders to embrace peace for development to take place.
Gov. Dickson of Bayelsa noted that dialogue and consultations remained the most effective solution to the Niger Delta crisis rather than military option.
He solicited the support of the Federal Government to tackle the development challenges facing the state as the difficult terrain was making the cost of providing infrastructure too costly for the state government to cope with.
Mr Udens Eradiri, the President of Ijaw Youths Council appealed to the Federal Government to legalise the operation of artisanal refineries to create jobs for the teeming youths and save the environment.
He observed that the artisanal refineries if legalised, would be operated in an environmentally sustainable manner, adding that job creation for the youths was a panacea to checking militancy. (NAN)
NN/GY