Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba 

Worried by the seemingly low participation of the region in national employment programmes, the Niger Delta Progressives Alliance (NDPA) has launched a sensitization campaign to educate young people across the region on how to access federal government programmes and policies designed to improve their lives.

Increased participation, especially of youths, in national empowerment programmes will most certainly impact the security of communities positively, the group noted. 

Speaking during a one-day sensitization forum held at the weekend in Asaba, with the theme, “Empirical Perspective on President Tinubu’s Offers in Two Years: A Strategic Engagement of Niger Deltans on Accessibility”, the Convener of NDPA, Victor Udoh, said the initiative was driven by the realization that many people in the region were not benefiting from several federal employment interventions, not due to their deliberate exclusion but because they simply cannot access the right and timely information.

“For instance, in the 2024/2025 NELFUND student loan programme, 65 percent of beneficiaries are from the North, while 35 percent are from the South – and most of that 35 percent are from the South-West,” Udoh explained. “It’s not that our people were denied; they simply didn’t apply. Many don’t even believe these opportunities are real.”

He said the group was aiming to equip citizens with the knowledge to access government programmes directly, without middlemen and devoid of illegal charges. 

Udoh stressed that increased participation in federal initiatives such as the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) would strengthen the region’s economic base and deepen the peace processin the region.

“When people are economically empowered, communities become more secure and stable. That’s why we’re taking this message from state to state across the Niger Delta”, he said. 

In the same vein, Jator Abido, an engineer and National Co-ordinator of the Niger Delta Youth Council Worldwide who is also ‘Paramount Ruler of Niger Delta Communities in the North’, said that the gap in access to needed information between northern youths and their southern counterparts remained wide and worrisome.

He observed, “More northerners are taking advantage of these federal empowerment programmes than southerners. That’s why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to educate our people about these initiatives -NELFUND, SMEDAN and other presidential projects – and how they can change lives positively.”

He commended the federal government’s efforts to support the region’s growth in critical sectors, including the award of pipeline surveillance contracts to companies such as Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), which he described as deeply committed to the development of the Niger Delta.

“PINL has played a major role in ending pipeline vandalism and oil theft. Their operations have helped increase oil production from under one million barrels per day to nearly two million, while creating thousands of jobs for youths and funding scholarships, training, and skills acquisition programmes. 

“The President means well for the Niger Delta, I can assure you. Students can benefit from NELFUND loans, entrepreneurs can access SMEDAN funds, and even small producers in rural areas can get help to process and export their goods”, Abido said. 

The Secretary-General of NDPA and host of the event, Felix Ejenavi, said the sensitization drive, which was kicks-started in Rivers State, will extend to all nine states comprising the Niger Delta region.

Delta State Commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. ThankGod Trakiriowei, commended President Bola Tinubu and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State for “implementing programmes that have had tangible impact on citizens’ lives”. 

Nevertheless, he urged youths in the region to seize the available opportunities, through federal and state platforms, to empower themselves and build sustainable livelihoods.

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