Francis Sadhere
President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that his administration is committed to conducting a free and fair elections and a successful transition of power come 2015.
President Jonathan gave this assurance today during the occasion of the second plenary session of All Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Warri, Delta State.
President Jonathan who was represented by the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanual Uduaghan solicited for the support of Nigerians to deal with the security challenges that is currently facing the country.
Uduaghan while welcoming the Bishops of Nigeria to Warri Diocese of the catholic church, said that; “as a government we are very close to the church and we have being working with the church in this conference because we believe that a lot can be done in changing the society”.
Governor Uduaghan on his part said the state government was working closely with the Church to ensure that Nigerians change their orientation towards governance.
He said he believed that with the prayers of the church the Bokor Haram insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country could be brought to an end, adding that it was only the Church that can tell leaders of the country true position of things in the country.
The Governor stressed that his administration recognized the importance of the church in education, saying that this was the reason why it handed back the missionaries schools to the church.
“At a time we had the Niger Delta crisis and this area had a very bad experience from the crisis but I tell you it was the prayers of Christians including the Catholics that helped Delta state and Nigeria to resolve the crisis. That is why I believe that the prayers of the church will also save Nigeria from the challenges of Boko Haram. We are just working with the church spiritually but we are also with the church as people in positions. We are partnering with the church so that they can tell some of the challenges we are facing; and with that, we will be able to deal with some of the challenges”.
“One of the areas we have also touched is education; and we have been able to return schools back to mission. As a state we have economic development model called Delta beyond Oil meaning that; as an oil producing state, we are looking into other area because oil is not a sustainable commodity and cannot sustain an economy. Ultimately, it’s all about employment because the challenge of every government today is that of unemployment so we must find a way of dealing with it to create enabling environment to bring in investors because when youths are engaged, then the challenges of insecurity will be fully tackled”. He noted.
Governor Uduaghan lamented the devastation caused by oil exploration in the Niger Delta region, complaining that activities of oil exploration have polluted the waters and land thereby preventing citizens from fishing and farming in the state.
He added that Delta State’s greatest resources was the human beings in the state, saying that Deltans have distinguished themselves in and outside the state.
The Governor also said that his administration will continue to give women the opportunity of giving birth in a conducive environment, stressed that the administration’s free maternal and child health care programme has helped a lot of women in the state.
