Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immortalise the late former Inspector General of Police, Dr. Solomon Arase, in recognition of his “invaluable contributions to national unity and development.”

This call was part of a communiqué issued at the end of an enlarged meeting of PANDEF’s National Executive Committee (NEC) held in Benin City on Saturday.

The meeting, according to a communique by the group in Abuja, was presided over by the National Chairman, Ambassador (Dr.) Godknows Igali, and was attended by Edo State chapter executives led by Professor Alfred Ehigiegba, and chairmen of PANDEF from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states.

In the communiqué jointly signed by Amb. Igali, Prof. Ehigiegba, and the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Dr. Obiuwevbi Ominimini, PANDEF described Arase as a patriotic son of the Niger Delta whose service to the country deserved lasting honour through the naming of a major national monument after him.

The forum also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and other leaders for their roles in restoring democratic institutions in Rivers State, noting that their interventions helped preserve peace and stability in the state.

PANDEF, however, expressed deep concern over what it described as the continued infrastructure neglect of the Niger Delta, particularly the “collapse of federal roads” across the region. 

The group lamented that the East-West Road remains largely uncompleted, especially the Benin–Warri section, while other major arteries such as the Benin–Auchi and Calabar–Itu roads are in deplorable condition.

The communiqué further condemned the abandonment of the Ujevwu-Itakpe railway line connecting Delta and Kogi States.

It pointed out that similar projects in other regions, like the Abuja–Kaduna railway, were promptly repaired when they broke down. 

“This selective attention gives the impression that the Niger Delta does not matter in Nigeria’s infrastructural priorities,” PANDEF stated.

As part of its economic recovery agenda for the region, PANDEF called on the federal government to urgently rehabilitate and reopen all seaports in the South-South zone, including those in Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele, Burutu, and Koko. 

The group stressed that restoring these maritime facilities would significantly boost commerce, job creation, and the per capita income of the people of the Niger Delta.

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