Dipo Olowookere
By Jerome-Mario Utomi
As a background to this piece, the acronym, NDDC, is simply a contraction of the Niger Delta Development Commission, a federal government agency created in 2000 by an enabling Act, among other responsibilities, offer a lasting solution to the socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta Region and to facilitate the rapid and sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful.
The interventionist agency was created to thrive through; federal government contribution, which shall be equivalent to 15% of the monthly statutory allocations due to member states of the commission from the Federation Account; Oil and Gas processing companies’ contribution of 3% of their total budget; 50% of the Ecological Fund allocations due to member states; Proceeds from other NDDC assets: and Miscellaneous sources, including, but not limited to, grants-in-aid, gifts, interests on deposits and investments, loans by federal and state governments and any local or foreign bodies, and donations.
The above provisions partially or wholly explain the unabridged expectation Niger Deltans have placed on the Commission particularly the incoming board recently appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the 29th of August, 2023. The board which has been screened and confirmed by the House Representatives and now awaits inauguration, has Mr Chiedu Ebie, Lawyer and former Secretary to the Delta state Government, as Chairman alongside 16 other members.
As an incentive to achieve the given mandate, the board when inaugurated should productively look back and ask the following solution-oriented questions; how have successive boards of the Niger Delta Development Commission managed funds from the federal government? What role have governments in the Niger Delta played in its development? Will more funds in the coffers of the Commission translate into greater well-being for its citizens? What role have previous boards played to ensure equitable distribution of economic resources to the different ethnic nationalities within the Niger Delta?
What incentives or deterrents are in place to promote accountability and transparency with government spending? Have the previous failures of the Commission in past directly or indirectly set the stage for the present struggle for access to economic opportunities by individuals, groups and communities against the debilitating poverty in the Niger Delta or fueled social and inter-ethnic conflicts?
Has the past failure of the Commission to transfer development to the Niger Deltans hastened the emergence of ethnic-based groups striving for self-determination and the control of natural resources? On the other hand, will proper management of resources by the new board yield greater development for the Niger Delta region?
Why the above posers are without doubt important is that NDDC as a Commission created to play a key role in attracting development, building infrastructure, providing planned fiscal incentives and most importantly establishing good relationships with oil and gas-producing communities while creating sound policies that will fundamentally enable private enterprises to operate successfully in the area, has contrary to expectation left the region barefaced of infrastructure and the people of the region suffered democracy deficit.
To solve this lingering challenge, the incoming members of the board must first admit that many of the villages and communities within its preview daily tell stories of a people without a good survival record. They are at intervals either sacked or their property destroyed by flood, and their people particularly children decimated or dispersed. They endure poverty, economic powerlessness and outright deprivation. This is the order of the day among oil and gas-bearing communities in the region.
Viewed differently, there is no doubt that the agency and incoming board have a sincere desire to move the oil and gas parts of the state forward. But in the present circumstance, a mere declaration of intent will not be enough. In fact, it will be highly rewarding and Niger Deltans will, of course, appreciate if the board studies and presents for all to see; a clear definition of problems inherent in the region, means chosen to address the problems and establishment of a glaring system that amply connects the poor with good means of livelihood-food, job, and security.
Finally, to permanently catalyse the process of turning the Niger Delta region into a zone of development where peace and love shall reign supreme, the incoming board as I noted in my previous but similar intervention, must commit to these four cardinal things; to deliver legacy projects to the people of the region. Secondly, promote computerization/automation within the agency in ways that will amplify transparency and accountability as the Commission’s hallmark. Thirdly, pay disciplined attention to youth and human capital development of the people of the region.
Above all, use performance to change the narrative in some quarters which promotes the idea that appointments to the NDDC have become a matter of political cronyism and a process of capturing political votes- that because of the delicate political configuration of power in Nigeria and how this configuration has been bureaucratized, appointments and disciplining of erring officials are usually politicized. This adversely affects the capacity of the Commission to deliver on its mission.
This is the only possible explanation of the people’s expectations.
God bless Nigeria.
Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi is the programme coordinator (Media and Public Policy) for Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos
