President seeks development experts for Delta

In another effort to pacify angry Niger Delta communities, Obasanjo has created a Special Project Division (SPD) to plan the physical and social development of the Niger Delta, ‘The Guardian’ said.

In a statement, Okupu said on Monday the SPD would be headed by a special adviser yet to be named. He will be helped by “master planners of international repute” who will make proposals for the development of a wide variety of services such as electrification, environmental protection, sanitation, education, housing and transport.

The Niger Delta, despite producing much of the nation’s foreign earnings through oil sales, remains one of the most underdeveloped areas in Nigeria. Over the past year, militant youths in the area have seized oil flow stations, and kidnapped oil company employees in an effort to press home their demands for development.