14th November, 2021
Several groups in the Niger Delta are speaking out again over the unending delay in constituting the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
President Muhammadu Buhari had promised to constitute the board after receiving the Commission’s forensic audit report.
But five months after he made the promise and the report delivered, he has failed to fulfil his promise.
The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) was scathing in its criticism, describing the president’s stance as a low point of his administration.
National Publicity Secretary of the forum, Ken Robinson, said: “The NDDC as it is, is under the control of the President and for obvious reasons or reasons best known to him, he has delegated powers to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs who incidentally has made himself to become the de-facto managing director of the NDDC. The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs as it is, has become the Ministry of Niger Delta Development Commission.
“Someone who was governor of a state in the Niger Delta region, who was a senator and who is now a minister is conducting himself in this manner and Mr. President unfortunately has continually remained an unconcerned spectator in the affairs of a critical interventionist agency like the NDDC.
“That we are still talking about a board for the NDDC over two years after the substantive board was dissolved and an interim management put in place clearly shows the disregard this presidency and its officials have for the Niger Delta region and its people.
“We have discussed this matter to a point that people have issued ultimatum, threats and all that, but it is insulting to the Niger Delta people that a statutory body created by an act of the National Assembly has been grossly abused in the management and running of the agency and no one can tell exactly what is happening in that place.”
“As we said earlier when the so-called forensic audit was made public, we challenged the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to make it public. We challenged him to say there was truly a forensic audit because some of the statements that came out during the presentation of the forensic audit were completely outrageous intended to blackmail certain persons in the Niger Delta and even perhaps some people in their government.
“It is part of the frustrations of the Niger Delta people. As elders of the nation, we have continued to appeal to our people not to take the path of violence in ways that will further threaten the peace and security of our zone.”
Robinson said the delay in inaugurating the board had brought untold developmental setbacks to the region.
“The consequence of that is that developmental issues in the Niger Delta are not being addressed. As bad as it is that the NDDC has not done what it was supposed to do, it has not delivered on its core mandate of fast tracking infrastructural development in the Niger Delta, at least some little things were done. Some projects they were carrying out here are all abandoned.”
Movement for Survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationalities in Niger Delta (MOSIEND) queried the silence of former militant leaders, Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, Ateke Tom and Victor Ben aka Boyloaf on refusal of the Federal Government to inaugurate the substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Tompolo had on May 30 issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to inaugurate the substantive Board of the Niger – Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
MOSIEND in a statement signed by its National Vice-President, Thompson Fouye and National Director, Mobilization, Alhaji Abubakar Brown, dared the ex-militant to speak on the matter and give fresh ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio to inaugurate the board.
“We dare Tompolo, Ateke Tom and Victor Ben to give a joint seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and Sen. Godswill Akpabio concerning the composition of the NDDC board if they’re truly worried about the hardship the delay in the constitution of the board is inflicting on the masses.
“Their strange quietness is generating disquietness amongst groups who recognized their contributions in the struggle hitherto.”
MOSIEND believed that the recent hobnobbing between the ex-militants and Akpabio, who visited Okochiri, the Kingdom of Ateke Tom and Oporoza, the home of Tompolo should yield positive results instead of getting them dumb on issues disturbing the region.
“The recent happenings show ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta lack the energy and synergy to collectively bargain a better deal for ourselves as a region.
“President Muhammadu Buhari should not be blamed for Akpabio’s selfishness and the docility of our political leaders and stakeholders. Any attempt to scrap NDDC will face stiff resistance. Akpabio is just flying a kite; it is an exercise in futility”.
A Niger Delta-based group, the Ijaw Interest Advocates (IIA), also known as the Izanzan Intellectual Camp, linked the delay in inaugurating a substantive board for the NDDC to the declining output of international oil companies.
In a statement by its Coordinator, Amb. Arerebo Salaco Yerinmene SNR, the group blamed Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for the situation.
“Recently, most of Akpabio’s gimmicks over the NDDC board issue are adding to fuel the already battered discord between the multi- nationals and the oil producing communities.
“Abuja should not be carried away and be sharing the goodies and mouthwatering stories from Akpabio. Be informed, the silent damages been caused to multinationals in their respective host communities which if not quickly attended to, might majorly affect the entire country’s economy,” it said.
The group noted that some major IOCs operating in the oil-rich region are on the verge of leaving the country, while others have been recording dwindling production due to the continuous agitations.
“Today, as we speak, Agip Oil Company is at the verge of collapsing following the reduction of production per day. Chevron is shaking, Shell is barely surviving and even threatening to exit Nigeria.
“As at 2015, Agip Oil Company was producing about 250,000 barrels per day. But today, they are producing less than 30,000 barrels per day.
Shell was producing about 600,000 barrels as at 2014 but today it has crashed down to the extent of threatening to pull out of Nigeria.
“There are many other factors but indisputably, the main reason has to do with communal challenges,” the group asserted.
“Having gone around the Niger Delta region, we can authoritatively say that there are a lot of abandoned oil wells now in the Niger Delta region and not because they can’t produce but due to communal issues that have forced the companies to abandon them,” the statement said further.
Akpabio in a statement said President Muhammadu Buhari is still studying the forensic audit report with a view to coming up “with a formula for a commission fit for purpose.
“That formula is what the board being put together will work with,” Akpabio stated.