Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), has supported the war against illegal refineries declared by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.
Dikio, who spoke at the weekend in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the 50th anniversary dinner and awards night of the Port Harcourt Polo Club, said Wike’s effort should be complemented by all stakeholders in the region.
He said illegal refineries were not the only cause of the environmental devastation in the region, insisting that other harmful practices were also responsible for polluting the environment.
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He said, “I commend Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, for taking on the issue of illegal oil refineries also known as ‘kpofire’ head on but a lot of work still needs to be done.
“Kpofire is not the only pollutant and so, individually and collectively, what are we doing, especially corporate organisations to reduce unwanted emissions into our environment?”
Dikio also urged people of the Niger Delta to stop bickering over the alloted percentage in the Petroleum Industry Act, saying opportunity would be created for future negotiations.
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“I will say that instead of quarreling about the percentage, we should be talking about what to do with the percentage we got, build on it and we can have another discussion after that,” Dikio said.
While reinforcing the PAP’s Train, Employ and Mentor model, Dikio said in the next 10 years, the Niger Delta should have a critical mass that would make people of the region competitive in all spheres.
He said, “We’re looking for partnership with businesses that can train these ex-agitators.
“We are doing this which is a departure from the old model which only train people and put them back in the bloated unemployment market. We feel that is a waste of money and everybody’s time. It increases the anxiety level in the economy and the polity.”
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