MNDA TO PARTNER WITH ABU – DR ARDO
Oru Leonard
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Babayo Ardo has expressed the Ministry’s readiness to partner with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, in the areas of Environment, Infrastructure and Human Resource development to proffer solutions to the challenges of the Niger Delta region.
Dr. Ardo made this known during the courtesy visit of the Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Kabiru Bala and his team at the ministry’s conference room recently.
He reiterated that as an interventionist ministry, the ministry is poised to intervene basically in the developmental challenges of the Niger Delta region since capacity building is one of the keys to human development.
In his words “We have the youths bulged in the region as we always felt threat of pipeline vandalization and oil blockages – Hence the youths of the region are targeted for training and empowerment programmes, so as to engage them in productive activities”.
The Permanent Secretary assured the Vice Chancellor of sending some teams of experts from the ministry to the school to thinker on the area of partnership between the ministry and the University.
Earlier, Prof. Kabiru Bala maintained that the school has a lot of human resources that can help in achieving the objectives of the ministry, adding that they have expertise in the areas of infrastructural and environmental development that would bring to bear in the discharge of the responsibilities of the ministry.
The VC stated that the University is trying to link up with distinguished fellow alumni’s such as the Permanent Secretary, to brief them on happenings in the varsity and what can be done together in nation building.
He, therefore, informed that the Varsity wants to go into partnership with the Ministry and its agency (Niger Delta Development Commission) for socio-economic development of the region and Nigeria at large.
Prof. Kabiru commended the Permanent Secretary and the Management team for their warm hospitality and looks forward for a robust relationship that would bring unprecedented Infrastructure to the region.
