SYLVA BLAMES WOES ON PAST GOVERNMENTS

Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State attributed the woes of the region to lack of political will on the part of past administrations in the country.

Represented by his deputy, Mr Peremobowei Ebebi, the governor charged universities across the country to research and proffer solutions to the developmental and environmental challenges of the region.

He decried the politicisation of the development of the region and urged the people of the Niger Delta to fully utilise the opportunities being offered by President Umaru Yar’Adua in developing the region.

Governor Sylva said the state government would graciously incorporate solutions proffered to the problems of the region into its developmental programme to improve the lot of Bayelsans.

In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, Prof. Kimse Okoko, who is also the Pro-Chancellor of the Niger Delta University and President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) said this was the first time the university had organised an international conference, saying it was a demonstration of its readiness to attain the standard of a world class university.

Prof Okoko explained that the search for peace in the region would become a daunting task without solutions to the Niger Delta crisis, noting that justice should be seen and not just talked about. He asked President Yar’Adua to release the withheld NDDC fund just as he released the withheld Lagos State local government fund.