Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan
Some state governors have called for the diversification of the economy to make the country less dependent on oil revenue. The governors bared their minds on the oil situation at an executive session at the 9th All Nigerian Editors Conference holding in Asaba, Delta State.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the four-day meeting which commenced on Wednesday has a theme ‘’Nigerian Beyond Oil: Role of the Editors.’
The governor agreed that the topic was apt, adding that diversification of the economy through massive investment in agriculture, education and industrialisation would tackle the country’s economic challenges.
Speaking on the occasion, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State said diversification of the country’s economy required a comprehensive and integrated approach.
He made a case for some oil-bearing communities that have been polluted, saying there was need to regenerate their devasted environment as a precursor to diversification of the economy.
“In these communities there have been damages to the air, sea and land. For us in the region we are afraid because when the oil is no longer there, the people will suffer more. So what we are saying is that we must repair the damaged places, so the discussion on Nigerian beyond oil should supersede that of politics,” he said.
He charged the editors to focus more on the economy of the country than its politics. On his part, Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State blamed the over concentration on oil revenue for the rising corruption in the country.
He said he was sure that if the oil dried, the country would be better for it and all the component states would become more enterprising while corruption would be minimized drastically.
“If the oil money is not there most states will become better managers, if we remove oil, we will have the real sector developed but greed for easy oil money has bedevilled the country,” he said.
He said there was need to promote fiscal responsibility and diversification of the country’s economy as solution to the long aged problem of the country.
On his part, Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State said there was the urgent need for the country to develop other sectors of the economy.
Akpabio, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said oil exploitation had caused a lot of damage to the physical environment of the oil producing areas of the country.
Source: Punch
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