Nigeria's Oil Region Needs Good Governnance

People’ s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and Akwa Ibom State governorship aspirant, Obong Inibehe Okori, says the peoples of the Niger Delta, Nigeria’s main oil and gas region, want to be governed well and to have a say in what happens in their lives.

Okori, who was addressing some PDP leaders and elders from the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom in Uyo, the state capital, on Wednesday, said the peoples of the oil region also want to be secure, to earn a decent living, get good treatment from government and public functionaries.

Adding, he said, “ I am offering myself to serve Akwa Ibom as a governor in 2007, not because of glamour, but because our campaign organization, Initiative ’07, has a strategy which emphasizes on including local government and other authorities and power holders as partners in the development and reform process”.

Continuing, he said, “in our strategy, the poor and the marginalized people will have representative voice in local decision-making and would ensure inclusion of issues affecting their lives”.

“For us to make governance work for the poor, there should be intensive and integrated effort of government, political parties, non-governmental organizations, private sector, civil society, media, and citizens”, the governorship aspirant said.

He claimed that responsiveness and accountability would be the major pillars of his administration if God grants him the grace to be the governor of Akwa Ibom in 2007.

According to him, “we are of the view that lack of adequate accountability and transparency in the Niger Delta area, may have resulted in the alleged widespread corrupt practices and unsatisfactory law and order situation.

For him, the oil and gas region will have to traverse a long way to reach the desired momentum in economic growth, poverty reduction, improvement in quality of life, and overall social development. “Political situation in the Niger Delta from the way we see it, is miserable. Some of our politicians are acting for personal interests”, he added.

Continuing, he said, “in the Akwa Ibom of our dream, our party in government and civil society will be natural allies. We are determined not to allow our party degenerate into a self-serving political party that is unable to satisfy the expectations of our people”.

He, however, insisted that citizens, civil society and government would have to work together in a bid to build an effective Akwa Ibom State.

ENDS

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