By: Nwokoma Ndubueze
The Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) Youth President for Ohaji/Egbema local Government Area, Prince Kelvin Ekwueme has stated that the amnesty program embarked upon by the Rescue government led by Governor Rochas Anayo Okorocha will be very fruitful for the entire nation especially the oil producing communities who have been short changed in infrastructure development for quite sometime now.
Prince Ekwueme during recent interview with journalists in Owerri said that the good people of oil producing communities are highly impressed with the amnesty program extended to the oil region which is aimed at instituting permanent peace in their focalities.
According to him, the plans of the Rescue government of Governor Okorocha for youths in the area will be actualised, because those youths who took arms as their last resort to draw the attention of both the oil operators and government have now accepted to drop their weapons, hence the oil operators and government have accepted to dialogue and to solve their grievances peacefully. He added that already many have started to surrender theirs while others are on the way to do so, to enable them come to a round table for better plan on how to reintegrate back into their communities.
The youth president said that the truth of the matter is the parties have come together for a mutual tie which will enhance the development and peaceful coexistence of all. He stressed that since the youths have lodged their underdevelopment of their complains over the localities, which the mainstream of the nation’s wealth and precisively the food basket of the state, but yet completely neglected by the oil companies operating in their various communities and the government into is supposed to protect them, Prince Ekwueme maintained that, what warranted youths to fight to finish is the high rate of unemployment, massive deplorable, total blackout as result of no electricity, no good hospitals or clinics, poor school buildings with lack of educational facilities, whereas Abuja was developed with oil fund.
He commended Gov. Okorocha for the initiation of the peace accord, as well as urged the oil operators to extend their hand of fellowship and rewrite their social records in order to engender socioeconomic growth in the country especially now the nation is on economic recession.
