By Emeka Madunagu
Published: Saturday, 6 Sep 2008

The Delta State Government has been urged to adopt the Singaporean model in developing the state.

A communique issued at the end of the first Delta State Information Summit and made available to Saturday Punch by email on Friday said that if developed along the lines adopted by the leaders of the Asian nation, the state would become a model for the entire nation and West Africa.

The 22-point recommendation urged the state government to make its development goals sustainable and to anchor it on the three niche areas of agriculture, medical care and environmental protection. The state government was advised to develop a network of Delta State citizens abroad through the Delta Diaspora Direct initiative to enable the state attract the huge financial and technical expertise available to it.

Also, the summit advised the state government to “develop a creative and sustainable format to finance the huge infrastructural needs of the state without building a debt portfolio.”

The document was jointly signed by Chief Clement Ofuani, representing the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Mr. Gift Nikoro; Editor Online, Punch Newspapers, Mr. Dafe Onojovwo, representing the media; Dr. Francis Akenami, representing international partners; and Mr. Tive Denedo, representing civil society organisations.

The summit also advised the Federal Government to practice true fiscal federalism and urged the National Assembly to “emulate the Delta State example by passing a bill to raise derivation revenue to 50 per cent since 13 per cent is merely the minimum formula recommended in the constitution.”

It also called for a working partnership between government and the media through the peace media strategy as one way of resolving the crisis in the Niger Delta, noting that government should “intensify the development drive and provide necessary funds for all efforts at bringing infrastructure and human capital development to states of the Niger Delta; dialogue and democratic engagement remain the most workable and reasonable approach to resolving the Niger Delta problem as against the use of force; the Federal Government should therefore discourage and de-emphasise the military option in conflict resolution in the region and elsewhere; government should establish a sustainable and effective platform of dialogue and engagement with the people, the media, development agencies, and corporations on the Niger Delta issue.”

Organised under the theme, “Media, Peace and Development as Building Blocks of Democracy,” the August 27 summit also featured the formal unveiling of the True Face of Delta Initiative. Various speeches were also delivered by Uduaghan and the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Oma Djebah.


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