Pained by the level of vandalisation and destruction of interconnected infrastructures in the Oil and Gas, Telecommunications, Transportation and Power Sectors in the South-South region, the Ashcraft Centre for Social Science Research will be organizing a summit aimed at addressing the challenges.
Addressing a press conference in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Chief of Strategic Planning and Innovations at Ashcraft Centre for Social Science Research, Chiakor Alfred, disclosed that the summit scheduled for July 25-26, is consistent with the provisions of the National Protection Policy and Strategy 2022 (CNAINPPS 2022); Petroleum Industry Act, 2021; the National Security Strategy Framework; and the Critical National Infrastructure Bill, 2021 currently under consideration at the National Assembly.
Tagged the ‘South-South Zonal Stakeholders Summit’, Chiakor stated the move is a Private/Public Sector Partnership that aims at galvanizing responsibility and synergy for the prioritization of the Multi-Agency/Joint Risk Management Efforts to ensure the security and resilience of Nigeria’s critical national assets.
“The South-South Zonal Stakeholders Summit aims to intensify advocacy for Stakeholders Statutory Responsibilities. It shall also engender the re-engineering of appropriate legislations; and the strategic roadmap for harnessing expert knowledge and country-wide technical support for deterrence, codified response strategy and recovery architecture to Nigeria’s critical assets,” he said.
He added that equally important, is the desire to seek renewed commitment to the challenges impacting the integrity of critical infrastructures and assets in the Region, especially the vandalisation and destruction of its complex ecosystem of separate yet interconnected infrastructures in the Oil and Gas; Telecommunications, Transportation and Power Sectors.
“To achieve the projected outcome and also sustain confidence building, diverse Stakeholders are mobilized to discuss the challenges impacting the integrity, operations and security of these critical infrastructures and Assets and also seek possible solutions and suggestions.
“The Stakeholders being mobilized to the Summit include but are not limited to: Nigeria’s National and State Legislatures; the Armed Forces, Security and Intelligence Agencies; Statutory Regulators in the diverse Sectors of Nigeria’s productive economy; Investors/ Business Owners; Operators of the Infrastructures and Assets; Professional and Civil Society Organizations; the Traditional Institution, Socio-Cultural and Pressure Groups,”.
He believed that by building inter/multi-sectoral synergy, the Summit shall engender Stakeholders and citizens with shared responsibilities towards achieving the institutionalization of the road map and priorities of the policy frameworks crafted to provide deterrence, security and resilience of Nigeria’s assets.
It is the expectation of the Conveners that the derivatives from the Summit shall enhance knowledge leadership & management, regenerate confidence in securing Foreign Direct Investment into Nigeria’s productive Sectors; and also boost capital growth and turnkey business startups and development.