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A lecturer at the Niger Delta University (NDU), Prof. Alison Oguru, has appealed to stakeholders in the Niger-Delta region to revive their lost tradition of self-development.
Oguru, a lecturer of Agriculture and Applied Economics, and former Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, made the call on Monday at a media briefing, in Port Harcourt.
He said that the region still faced serious issues of development because it ceded its old tradition of self-development to successive governments.
According to him, Niger Delta communities had full-fledged traditional institutions that handled executive, judicial and legislative functions before the coming of the colonial masters.
“The coming of the colonial masters made the region to abandon its age-long self-development traditions; we even left our governing to them.
“Before then, there existed leadership traditions that were undertaking developmental functions, all we needed to do was to enliven them instead of watching them die,’’ he said.
Oguru stated that the situation was responsible for the current disposition where Niger Delta communities depended solely on governments for development.
The university teacher further said that the discovery and exploration of oil in the region made Niger Deltans to become docile and unready to think ` outside the box’
“What we now have is a region with a `rent seeking mentality’, many citizens want to earn money and good livelihood without working hard.
“This mentality has made our people to forsake the dignity of labour and hard work, we now depend on oil and governments for survival,’’ he said.
Oguru called on all stakeholders in the region to work towards a new consciousness and attitudinal change in the interest of the future.
He noted that the windows of wealth available within the oil and gas sector were speedily closing.
“ We must now think of a way out”, Oguru said. (NAN)
