Asaba – Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta on Tuesday restated the need for collaborative action in the fight against terrorism in the country.
He spoke when a team of Foreign Defence Advisers and Attaches to Nigeria paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba.
The delegation was led by Navy Capt. Michael Afolabi of Defence Intelligence Agency, Abuja.
Uduaghan said that the country was facing serious security challenges that required everybody’s support.
“For Nigeria, we are all aware of the security challenges facing the country.
“I urge you and everyone to openly condemn terrorism and deal with the challenges to restore peace in Nigeria,” he said.
The governor told the team that the state had had its share of security challenges but assured them that the situation had been brought under control.
He said that the state was one of the nine Niger Delta states producing oil and gas in the southern region of the country.
According to the governor, his administration has developed a model to diversify the economy.
“We in Delta have developed a development model known as ‘Delta Beyond Oil’ and this is aimed at utilising the oil revenue to develop other sectors of the state economy,” the governor said.
He thanked the team for visiting the state.
Earlier, Afolabi said that the team was in the state to appreciate the development of infrastructure that had taken place over the years.
He said that the team would undertake a study in only one state in Nigeria before departing and they decided to do so in Delta.
Afolabi thanked the governor for the reception and promised to do a report of their findings in all the places visited in their five-day guided tour of the state.
The Secretary to the State Government, Mr Ovuzourie Macaulay, restated the state government’s commitment to peace and security.
He said that there were lots of opportunities for investors in oil and gas, agriculture and tourism, among others in the state, noting that Delta was safe for investors.
In a remark, a member of the team from Ghana, Air Commodore N.P.K. Dzokoto, lauded the state government’s model and urged that it should be replicated in other parts of Nigeria.
He said that education was the bedrock of development, while peace and security were vital for the sustenance of development.
“You can’t attract development in an atmosphere of conflict and violence,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the team of defence advisers had representatives from Germany, India, China, Brazil, South Africa, Portugal and Chad. (NAN)