Restructure NDDC, Jonathan Urged

South East/South South Professionals, a non-partisan group, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to begin his transformation agenda with the restructuring of the Niger Delta Development Corporation, NDDC.

The leader of the group, Emeka Ugwu-Oju, during a press conference organised by the group in Lagos recently, suggested that credible professionals, like Tonye Cole, Pat Bassey, Jim Ovia, Atedo Peterside, Udo-Udoma, Ifueko Omoigue Okauru, Pat Utomi and Ledum Mitte, should offer themselves for service in the corporation.

He lamented that NDDC could not measure up to the standard of the defunct regional corporation, which accelerated the development of the competing regions in earlier dispensations. Ugwu-Oju said if federalism is practiced in the country, NDDC would have been a creation of the oil producing states.

He implored the president to appoint another board for the corporation, adding that members of the new board should not be politicians or lackeys of party leaders.

Ugwu-Oju added, “we suggest that the president may choose to abide by the rotation principle, but even at that, let him call for proposals from interested persons in the area for the job. Let them state how they will utilize the allocation to NDDC to turn around the zone.”

“The judges should be well educated clerics and elder statesmen from the area. No favouritism and no intervention from the ever meddling governors, let the best man emerge and showcase his brilliance for the people.”

The group leader said when loyalists to political leaders are saddled with great responsibilities in the corporation, they often display the lack of capacity to transform the institution.

He urged the president to halt the culture of “job for the boys” by appointing people who can meet the needs of the oil producing states.

Ugwu-Oju added, “the neglected people of the Niger Delta and oil producing states deserve better. We believe the president when he said he is committed to the ideas of our founding fathers.

We wish to remind him that the development corporations our founding fathers established worked. Let us make NDDC work,” he said.

—Ekene Obidike