Ronald Roosdorp’s visit, a good omen, says Emir

The Emir of Azara in Nasarawa State, Dr. Kabiru Musa Ibrahim on Tuesday took a hard look at the visit of the Voluntary Principles Initiative steering committee to Eggon Nasarawa, declaring it another benchmark in the history of Nigeria.

The monarch expressed satisfaction with the visit.

“We are extremely happy today. Your visit is a blessing. It is a good development that is capable of yielding a beneficial outcome” the Emir said when Ronald Roosdorp and other stakeholders of the Voluntary Principles Initiative visited his palace.

The VPI delegation earlier visited a mining site in Eggon Local Government of Nasarawa State.

The paramount ruler, who described Nasarawa State as peaceful and the people friendly, urged foreign investors to invest in the state, particularly the mining industry.

“The business environment is very good” he said.

In his remarks, Roosdorp said that the Voluntary Principles Initiative was designed by multi-stakeholders to give practical guidelines on ways to prevent violence in the extractive industry.

“The initiative is targeted at promoting human rights through prevention of violence in the extractive industry. Our objective is to partner with government on ways to prevent security risks in the extractive industry, encourage capacity training, creation of employment opportunities and attract foreign investments.”

He urged governments and companies to place premium on security dialogue and cooperation.

“It will help to create awareness on the need for engaging host communities and the extractive industry in dialogue” he said.