President Bola Tinubu has given approval to the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to borrow an additional N1 trillion to the N1.9 billion budget, to enable it establish and complete other projects in order to fastrack development in the Niger Delta region.
This came as the former President Goodluck Jonathan has accused politicians of meddling with the commission affairs, resulting in the delay of projects’ delivery in the years past.
President Tinubu who disclosed this in his address as chief guest of honour at the 2024 Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said that he has passion for the development of the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
Represented by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu stated that the commission has never had the kind of budget that they are having in 2024, commending the management of the NDDC led by the Chairman, Chiedu Ebie and Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, for their exceptional performance in the development of the region.
It would be recalled that during the technical session of the summit on Wednesday, stakeholders from the region pleaded with the President to allow the NDDC’s management loan funds to fastrack development in the region.
Speaking on the appeal and request by the Governor of Bayelsa Governor, Douye Diri, at the summit President Tinubu said with the current approval on the soft loan, the NDDC’s management will no longer give reason for delay of completion of projects or underdevelopment of the region.
He further assured that the Lagos -Calabar Coastal Road project will now start simultaneously from both in Lagos and Niger Delta region, adding that the East-West Road linking Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states will also have immediate attention.
He said: “Today, Mr. President is very committed to ensuring the development of the Niger Delta. The Bayelsa-Rivers-Akwa Ibom Road called East-West Road will be tackled. The National Assembly standing here will do everything possible to ensure that the project is completed within our time.
“The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road started by the President will not only start from Lagos, Mr. President has also agreed that it must also take root from Niger Delta simultaneously, then it will get up with the one in Lagos.
“The Niger Delta Development Commission has never had the kind of budget that they are having in 2024. The President has approved that they can go ahead and get a soft loan of N1 trillion to complete all the other projects that they have in mind in order to bring quick development to this region. So the MD of NDDC is no longer going to lack funds, it is going to be the issue of commitment.
“This has changed. We will not have people from Abuja coming here to stay in the hotel and requesting to be in NDDC to collect money and take back to other states of the federation. We are going to spend the money of NDDC right here in the Niger Delta region.”
Meanwhile, former President Jonathan who was the chairman of the summit, urged the Senate President, Akpabio to work with other stakeholders in the region to tackle the issues of interference in the development of the region through the intervention agency.
According to the former President, “NDDC came into being as a child of necessity to provide infrastructure and improve the livelihoods of the people of the region. The first set of leadership was getting it right when the commission started until politicians took over. When politicians took over NDDC, the progress was slowed down, but I think this current leadership is beginning to get it right.
“To stakeholders and politicians in the region, we shouldn’t overstretch the NDDC, so the agency can perform. Senator Godswill Akpabio being the most senior politician from the region should work with every stakeholder for the betterment of the region.
“NDDC must stop the issue of abandoned projects. NDDC should be able to manage and maintain the projects they have implemented, especially roads. These roads after completion should be handed over to the states so the state government can maintain them instead of allowing the roads to decay.”
Jonathan further urged the NDDC management to begin to see how the region can be developed without hydrocarbons, saying that “The world is fast moving away from hydrocarbons, and even the oil may dry out, just like it dried up in Oloibiri.
“Developing the Niger Delta region without hydrocarbons is achievable through education, skills acquisition, industrialisation and agriculture. NDDC can work with the Bank of Industry to issue loans for industrialisation and agricultural revolution in the region,” Jonathan added.
In his address, Akpabio, the chief host at the event, said the summit should resolve to abolish the “Pull Him Down” syndrome going on in the region.
He regretted that years after the Eleme-Onne section of the East-West Road was sabotaged by some stakeholders in the area, the road project has not been lifted from the deplorable state.
“So it saddens me when the narrative years after is still about East-West Road. That should have been put behind us by now, knowing my antecedent as a man who could bring our water from the rock in terms of transformation like I did in Akwa-Ibom State.
“The East-West Road would have been completed under my tenure as Minister of Niger Delta under the last administration, but some stakeholders particularly of Ogoni extraction led a delegation to meet with the then President Muhammadu Buhari to inform him that they did not want the Minister of Niger Delta to complete the road, they wanted the road to be transferred to the Ministry of Works, at that time headed by my brother, former Governor Fashola of Lagos State.
“I was very shocked, we have just secured about N75 billion in our contract at least particularly from the Eleme Junction when that came. And the person said if that is what you want so be it. The road at that time was then transferred to the Ministry of Works that had no budget that year for the East-West Road.
“Even the N75 billion that we secured could not be used. Am saying it is the Niger Delta that sometimes brings down Niger Delta.
“We here the National Assembly members are very satisfied with the work you (NDDC) are doing and with the kind of cooperation the management and the board are having in the Niger Delta Development Commission, ours is to assure you that we will continue to support you to bring development to the Niger Delta region,”Akpabio added.
Earlier in his goodwill message, Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Diri, appealed that as the construction of Lagos-Calabar highway is commencing from Lagos State, it should also commence from the Calabar axis.
Diri said, “Our region is in dire need of development, we are suffering. While we appreciate the President for the coastal road project, there is need to complete the East-West Road. If the contractor does not have the capacity, let the contract be given to NDDC.
“I appeal to our own son , Akpabio, to tell the President of the urgent need to act on that road, because our people are suffering,” Diri appealed.
