The women wing of the Oil Producing Area Association of Nigeria (OPAAN) while congratulating Nigeria at 60 has task President Muhammad Buhari to ensure Sustainable development and prosperity for women in the oil-producing areas.

The National Women Leader Mrs. Patience Shielu Afebu in a statement signed on Thursday noted that there is no doubt that the Oil Producing Areas contributes about 83% of Nigeria's total revenue, but the country's tremendous potentials for growth and sustainable development through crude oil is yet to be fulfilled due to many constraints posed by the industry to the environment. Oil exploitation has thus created chronic poverty, under-development, number of environmental impacts such as soil, water, and air pollution.

Ironically, it is regrettable that the Nigeria oil industry is organized in such a way that there is glaring inequality in women participation, in an environment obviously dominated by men, yet women bear a greater burden of environmental problems which result from oil production in their roles as mothers, domestic workers, farmers, fishermen, and breadwinners.

To this end, it is interesting that at this strategic period when The Nation is embracing and nurturing agricultural growth and development as the mainstay of the economy, the Oil producing Areas can not conveniently embrace and key into this economic developmental initiative due to the saddening and damaging effects of oil exploration and activities, despite the fact that oil has been hugely profitable from time immemorial, thereby making the oil-producing area to be the bedrock, as well as foundation sustaining Nigeria consistently for about a period of 50 years now.

In this regard, there comes the urgent need, particularly with Nigeria celebrating her 60th year anniversary, for the Federal Government to protect and reward the goose that lays the golden egg.

Consequently, At 60 years as a Nation, and with the oil-producing areas sustaining Nigeria for the past 50 years, there is the all encouraging and collaborative need for us as a Nation to re-define and create a sustainable socio-economic agenda, or prosperity Agenda for the vulnerable Oil Woman and child.

In other words and on this critical note, it is our candid opinion that to alleviate the burden of the Niger Delta Woman and child, the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration in line with its transformational change mantra and other critical stakeholders in the Oil sector, among others to ensure the monetization of the gas being flared, as well as impose stringent oil mining rules to ensure a better bargain and environment development plan that will recognize women and children as a most vulnerable group in a challenging environment as we have.

Additionally, measures designed or put in place to alleviate their strains should be specifically incorporated in development projects, especially with the ongoing Agricultural revolution program in Nigeria, so that they can be empowered equitably in meeting the global developmental goal of sustainable environment and gender equity.

As we conclude, we the OPAAN women of thought wish to unequivocally assure President Mohammed Buhari led the Government of our continued support and collaboration towards the successful realization of its developmental goals, as well as sustained peace and security of the oil-rich Niger Delta Region as the mothers of the Nation. We believe in one united Nigeria.