Ex-agitators in the Niger Delta have applauded President Bola Tinubu’s alleged decision to hand back control of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the executive branch.
Mr. Nature Dumale, national secretary of the First Phase Ex-agitators, said it was heartening to learn that the NDDC would now report directly to the President, like the North East Development Commission (NEDC), in Port Harcourt over the weekend.
He remarked that the event was like a prayer being answered and recalled that he had once spearheaded an effort to have the commission immediately under the President’s control.
Dumale, who is also the Chairman of Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Strategic Communication Committee (SCC), said Tinubu had, by the singular act, demonstrated his genuine intention to turn around the fortunes of NDDC.
Insisting that the Niger Delta had suffered underdevelopment over the years because greedy individuals were allowed to convert many interventions by the Federal Government for the region into their estates, he said: “We want to use this opportunity to appreciate the President for the wisdom in returning the NDDC to the Presidency. We believe that this will speed up the development of the region and stem the culture of turning the commission into a cash cow.
“For us, summoning the political will to move the interventionist agency back to the Presidency is a sign that the President has good intentions for the Niger Delta. This means that he wants proper supervision of the NDDC.”
According to the ex-agitators, the Niger Delta has been suffering because of mismanagement. This move will engender accountability, transparency and the much-touted development of the Niger Delta.
“This is one step the President has taken to give us hope as leaders in the region. We believe that the NDDC under the supervision of the Presidency would facilitate meaningful development.
“The only time we experienced some development was when NDDC was under the direct supervision of the Presidency. As soon as it was moved to the Ministry of Niger Delta, it became a cash cow for the Niger Delta cartel, whose only agenda was to keep the Niger Delta underdeveloped.”
Dumale said they discovered that apart from NDDC and PAP, there was Niger Delta Recovery Plan (NDRP), which mandated the Ministries of Petroleum, Environment and Niger Delta Affairs to work in synergy in articulating the development of the region.
He continued: “We live in an environment where a lot is taken away daily by the Federal Government, yet there is little to show for it. The condition of Ogoni-Onne-Eleme Road, which is part of the East-West Road, comes to mind. The road has remained a death trap, making it impossible for free movement of goods.
“We stand behind Tinubu and we await, with great enthusiasm and renewed vigour, the speedy development of our homeland.”
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