The people and residents of Rivers have been enjoined to support and sustain the peacebuilding efforts of Gov. Nyesom Wike for a more progressive and peaceful state.

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Tammy Danagogo, made the call on Friday when some Ministers and Ambassadors for Peace in the Niger Delta Region visited him in Port Harcourt.

Danagogo said that the people and residents of Rivers were duty-bound to join the state governor to nurture and sustain the peace in their various environments.

According to him, Gov. Wike had been doing everything within his means to support and partner with all security agencies to fast track the developmental agenda of the `NEW administration’ of Rivers.

The SSG also said that sustainable peace was desired in all parts of Nigeria, especially for citizens in the North West and North East, who now live in constant fear because of the precarious security situation in that part of the country.

He urged the ministers to keep up the good work, continue to take the pains of going into the Niger Delta creeks to reorient the youths and encourage those who are yet to lay down their arms to do so.

“No amount of money is too much to reorient our youths if the resources are available. That is why I think one of the best presidents Nigeria ever had was the late President Musa Yar’Adua who set up the Niger Delta Ministry, Amnesty agencies with resources.

“If the monies were judiciously used, I think it would have been meaningful for our people through the reorientation and education to develop skills for empowerment of the youths.

“Yar’Adua was a president that had a lot of foresight and empathy,’’ Danagogo said.

He further observed that the issues of security,  the ecology and topography in Rivers like other parts of the Niger Delta made contract sums much more expensive as compared to what was obtainable in other parts of the country.

He urged them to keep praying for the State in accordance with the Holy scriptures that directed Christian faithful to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

The President of the group, Bishop Samuel Richard told the SSG that they were working and praying for the peace of the Niger Delta and especially Rivers.

He noted that the association formed 14 years ago would also organise `a Peace Prayer Summit, one million man march for peace’ whenever the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

He enjoined the SSG to join hands with the association to win the souls of the youths in the Niger Delta.