{"id":15563,"date":"2017-08-21T19:09:29","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T19:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=15563"},"modified":"2017-08-21T19:13:44","modified_gmt":"2017-08-21T19:13:44","slug":"oil-losing-is-relevance-time-to-look-for-alternatives-boroh-advises-niger-delta-stakeholders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=15563","title":{"rendered":"OIL LOSING ITS RELEVANCE, TIME TO LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES, BOROH ADVISES NIGER DELTA STAKEHOLDERS"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"auto\">Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, has urged stakeholders from the South-South to think outside the box and find other means of economic sustenance outside oil.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Boroh, Coordinator, Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta, gave the advice in a keynote address at a seminar organised by the Ijaw Professional Association (IPA) at the Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan Lagos\u00a0<span class=\"aBn\" tabindex=\"0\" data-term=\"goog_556202395\"><span class=\"aQJ\">on Sunday<\/span><\/span>.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The theme of the seminar was \u201cSocial Inclusion, a Strategy for Peaceful Co-Existence\u2019\u2019.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><br \/>\n<code><\/code><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that IPA in a non-governmental organisation (NGO), is made up of groups of professionals that seek to fashion a development blueprint for the Niger Delta region.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Boroh restated that oil which had been the mainstay of Nigeria\u2019s economy deposited in the South-South region of Nigeria might soon lose its relevance in the world market.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">He called for urgent diversification into the other areas of economic interest to shore up the country\u2019s revenue.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe are getting to the point of reality which we must tell ourselves. Oil was found in the southern region of Nigeria, but for how long will we depend on it for sustenance?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cVery soon, in a space of two years, oil will lose its relevance because there are many researches going on now for a safer and better energy which has reduced the importance of oil.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe need to wake up to the reality that Nigeria\u2019s oil economic value is fast depreciating as our biggest buyer, U.S. are not buying from us again. They now buy from India.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThen, should we ask about what we pride in as our resources are not being appreciated again, what should we then do? The answer is to diversify and think outside the box.\u2019\u2019<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Boroh said that thinking outside the box means that the region needed to look into the sectors that were more viable economically and explore for a better future for southern Nigeria.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alternativeadvert.com\/show.php?z=30&amp;pl=14134&amp;ad_type=59&amp;rl=180\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThe new oil in the world now is Information Technology and ICT. It is a gold mine that can provide many opportunities to our youths that still have their eyes on oil.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe need to tap into the ICT world if we are serious about progressing in the country and in the south region. Our youths should open up to the avalanche of opportunities in ICT world.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cAnother area I want to talk about is Agriculture; it is an area we should start to consider now to replace oil in our minds. Before oil, what we have been engaging in is agriculture and we need to go back.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe need to go beyond subsistence farming to commercial farming. We have the population in terms of human capacity to feed ourselves and the world,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Contributing, the moderator of the event, former Commissioner of Information and Communication, Dr Austin George, alluded that diversification from oil should not be lip service only but a deliberate action plan.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe have been talking about diversification even now that the resources from oil are now dwindling. We need to implement the action plan now or never.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWhat have we been doing these years when the oil was still booming? Diversification is more than a theoretical declaration; it should be an action plan which we must act on now.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe need to diversify into ICT because it has generated a lot of opportunities. The future of our region is ICT. We need to know that.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cNow we are getting to the age of driverless cars, these cars make use of applications to operate. So, we need to come to the realisation of our potential before it\u2019s too late,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<p><code><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/code><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Other discussants spoke on the need to have a deliberate plan to educate youths on how to make use of the opportunity around them.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">A panellist, Mrs Ommo Clark, said there were opportunities that abound in the ICT sector but remained untapped by the youth.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cSome of the youth claimed that they are not using the internet whereas they are using it and unaware of how they can make a huge income from its use.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cTechnology is being used to solve many problems now; ICT can be used for what we call e-Commerce. We can now trade without going out of our homes. All transactions are now done on internet.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cInstead of wasting money on social media, why can\u2019t we turn it to productive use by advertising what we do; the services we provide on those platforms?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThere are software applications that helps advertise businesses for free. Once you upload what you do on it the world is already aware,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Another, Mr Ebikekeme Ere spoke on the productive way of using software applications, saying that he was able to develop software that could determine the quantity and the inflow of oil in the pipelines.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cI can say that very soon, even the schools will lose its relevance because we can now get the education needed via internet without the brick schools.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cICT has made it possible to have things simplified to ease our stress, so we need youths in this direction,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Mr Biriyai Dambosan said there was the need to have social inclusion through an inclusive constitution that would be for all and not the one foisted by the military.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cOur constitution did not show any social inclusion at all because we have no part in it. The first phrase that says `We the people of Nigeria\u2019 is a farce because we did not contribute to it.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIf we must make any impact in the development of Nigeria, we need a constitutional framework that will be socially inclusive.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cWe have had many imbalances in the government and that is why we are calling for restructuring which some are shying away from,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/OIL-WORKERS.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-15039\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/OIL-WORKERS-300x237.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/OIL-WORKERS-300x237.jpg 300w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/OIL-WORKERS.jpg 569w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Earlier, the President of IPA, Mr Elaye Otrofanowei, said the forum would seek to marshal a policy framework for the Ijaw extraction within the professional team that would be devoid political interference.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIPA seeks to bring intellectuals that seek to position the Ijaw people on equal footing with other regions by creating a platform to identify and build capacity by acting as a resource base.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cIt is also our desire to promote the interest of many young men, women and children both in Nigeria and the Diaspora so as to not only prepare the next generation for the mantle of leadership but to ensure coherence.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cThere is a need for a unified Ijaw house that is driven by empirical findings and professionalism as the region is faced with several challenges,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Other dignitaries that graced the event include retired Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni, retired Capt. Perekemi Porbeni among others. NAN<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, has urged stakeholders from the South-South to think outside the box and find other means of economic sustenance outside oil. Boroh, Coordinator, Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta, gave the advice in a keynote address at a seminar organised by the Ijaw Professional Association (IPA) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[4052,2008,4053],"class_list":["post-15563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-austin-george","tag-brig-gen-paul-boroh","tag-ipa"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/OIL-WORKERS.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oswh-431","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15563"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15565,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15563\/revisions\/15565"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}