THIS DAY

President Muhammadu Buhari, on June 24, 2021, while receiving the leadership of Ijaw National Congress, promised to inaugurate the board of NDDC upon receipt of the Commission’s forensic audit report. But two months after receipt of the report on September 2, 2021, from Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President is yet to fulfil his promise, abide by the law establishing NDDC, and hearken to the legitimate demands of the Niger Delta stakeholders, leading to agitations and heightened tension in the region.

In an interview on ARISE News, monitored in Lagos, Professor Benjamin Okaba, President of Ijaw National Congress (INC); and also President of Conference of Presidents-General of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities (CPGNDEN), which met in Yenagoa over the weekend and roundly condemned the continued running of NDDC with a Sole Administrator, in breach of NDDC Act, expresses the position of aggrieved Ijaws and CPGNDEN on these and other issues.

Lets even talk about the NDDC. Would you say it has done enough in the development of the Niger Delta region, given the back and forth that has happened recently, whats the position of the Ijaw people?

We also have said it severally that we are not impressed going by the quantum of resources, though not enough, that have been allocated to the region, to the NDDC as a Commission to address some of the issues you have raised.

But we thought that when the issue of a forensic audit was initiated by the Federal Government as a way of doing a total evaluation of how far we have gone, and what is wrong and how do we move forward, people applauded the forensic audit, though we were against the fact that it shouldn’t be a reason why the Commission should now be kept in the hands of a single man to be run as a family matter. But our complaints fell on deaf ears, and we said, okay, if forensic audit is the reason why you will put the inauguration of the board on hold, lets see how it goes.

Forensic audit report has been submitted since several months ago, the President’s statement that immediately after the forensic audit, he is going to inaugurate the NDDC Board has not yet been honoured. The government has not honoured it, the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Akpabio will say he has done his bit. We are witnesses to several abandoned projects, we are witnesses to NDDC becoming a conduit pipe for people who are not from the region. In fact as I speak to you, the major contractors to NDDC are not even from the region. Appointments to NDDC is not even influenced by people from the region.

Now the NDDC is still being manned by one person, denying the other NDDC states from having representation into a board that should decide what goes where. Right now the NDDC is just at the mercy of an individual and his family, that we all know, who decides what to do. As we speak monies are spent, as we speak, people are being employed, as we speak so many things are going on.

We are also saying that Mr. President should inaugurate the (NDDC) Board because the restiveness arising from his delay (to inaugurate NDDC Board) is what we are managing, and we are managing to a point where it is now becoming difficult.

Now we are hearing rumours that NDDC is to be merged with Niger Delta Ministry, the next rumour is that it is going to be scrapped. Our position is that resource control is our ultimate objective. But going forward, inaugurate the NDDC board which should work towards ameliorating and bringing succour to the people of Niger Delta. It should be properly managed, monies accruing to it should be provided as at when due, and that we don’t accept bringing in states that do not have any contiguous relationship with the Niger Delta into Niger Delta to further bastardise the very essence and concept of a people, who from the time of colonial masters have been recognised as having a peculiar and challenging environment that requires special development attention.

What’s the basis of the objection by the Ijaw National Congress and the region to the proposed inclusion of other oil bearing communities under the auspices of the Niger Delta Development Commission? Is this about geography?

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the first instance has a clear geographical definition and characterisation. It is not all about oil-bearing. To understand all of this we need to go back far into history, maybe from when the report of the Willinks Commission that recognised the peculiarities of the region, the major challenges, and therefore recommended the establishment of a board that will allay the fears of the people and act as a special development agency for the rapid development of the people of the region. At this time when this Act was passed, or this recommendation was made there was no oil. Oil was struck in 1958 and then exported in commercial quantity. Several boards were now put in place up till the point when we now had OMPADEC to cater for areas that are oil producing, then we now had NDDC in 2000 with a special mandate of developing the Niger Delta region. The point we are making is that if oil is found in Anambra, Lagos, and other places, of course there is a law that says for oil producing areas, 13% is given to them, but that should not qualify them as Niger Deltans

Will you say Anambra is not part of the Niger Delta? And even Lagos is asking for a special status.

Anambra is not. Anybody can ask. For instance, we have the North East Development Commission (NEDC). We have not said we are against it. But recognise ours, and treat ours as distinct. Its not about oil. I have said it. It was the concept, the idea of having a special development project or programme for the Niger Delta was recognised in pre-colonial times, and those problems that were identified still remain, in fact they are even worsening by the several years of neglect and marginalisation we have suffered in the Nigerian state. So give them their Commission but don’t make them Niger Delta, they are not. Niger Delta is a creation of nature, its not the creation of man. You don’t change the creation of nature and try to smuggle in names and bastardise the whole essence. It is evil against the people.

The Niger Delta map was drawn since pre-colonial times. So when you want to politicise a map for purposes of ethnic injustice upon a people, the originalities are there. So its not about anybody coming to do any interpretation. When you say map of Nigeria, map of Nigeria remains map of Nigeria unless there is an official boundary adjustment

What are you recommending to the National Assembly? The Bill has already passed second reading in the Senate

First and foremost we are recommending that the Niger Delta Development Commission, the manner it is constituted should remain. Let these other states that are new oil producing, they should be given their 13% as provided for by law and not by necessarily becoming Niger Delta, you don’t need to be a Niger Delta state to produce oil and benefit from oil production. Let them provide a body that can accommodate them, and even accommodate more. Our prayer is that every part of this country should be oil producing, so let us all have a feeling of the brutality we have faced as a people. As we speak there is pipeline explosion in Nembe, and other parts of Southern Ijaw for seven days, and nothing has happened and the eco-system is damaged. As we speak, no remediation, no compensation, no clean-up, seven days, and its ongoing. We want every part of Nigeria to experience this.

On the issue of what we are doing, in fact the Conference of Ethnic Nationalities of the Niger Delta met on Saturday in Yenagoa and took certain positions. Those positions will be unveiled much later because we are not going to sit on our oars. We are going to push this as much as possible within the constitutional boundaries. We are going to talk to our people, we are going to do everything possible to make sure that they don’t bastardise this Commission (NDDC), that they don’t whittle down the little benefit that we get from NDDC.

QUOTE

NDDC is still being manned by one person, denying the other NDDC states from having representation into a board that should decide what goes where. Right now the NDDC is just at the mercy of an individual and his family, that we all know, who decides what to do. As we speak monies are spent, as we speak, people are being employed, as we speak so many things are going on