Nigeria has nothing to fear about restructuring, as every region has the resources to stand on its feet and prosper, former Foreign Affairs Minister, Maj.Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (rtd), has declared.

Nwachukwu spoke in Abuja yesterday during the public presentation of a book, “The Hidden Treasures: An Exposition on the Rich Resources and Opportunities of the Niger Delta,” authored by Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, Chairman of the Wellmann Group of Companies.

He urged Nigerians to embrace restructuring as a pathway to national progress, insisting that all regions can not only sustain themselves but flourish if they invest in their natural and economic endowments.

On insecurity, the retired general called for full support for the nation’s armed forces, stating that the military remains capable, professional and firmly committed to securing Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Adewole Adebayo, described the Niger Delta as a “hidden treasure” whose vast wealth has remained underutilised due to decades of poor leadership

Adebayo, who joked that his family had benefited from the region for more than a century and said that he found “personal fortune through marriage,” urged Nigerians to appreciate the country’s God-given diversity.

He claimed the Niger Delta’s wealth exceeds that of many developed nations, contending that it holds resources “times all the productivity of America since 1776.”

Human rights lawyer, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), represented by Prof. Ezekiel Abalagba, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, hailed the book as “an economic goldmine” filled with practical strategies to reposition key sectors in the region.

Author of the book, Dr Iyovwaye, said the Niger Delta had long been misrepresented. The book, he explained, highlights the region’s immense potential, its developmental challenges and the strategies needed to transform its people and resources into engines of national prosperity. (The Sun)