The inauguration of the Management Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) last week, the second under President Buhari, was greeted with mixed reactions by the people of the Niger Delta and most Nigerians. The people’s response is rooted in many issues, most of which are connected and straddling. I list them here in no […]
The inauguration of the Management Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission last week, the second under President Buhari, was greeted with mixed reactions by the people of the Niger Delta and most Nigerians. The people’s response is rooted in many issues, most of which are connected and straddling.
However, the NDDC derailment got egregious and offensive in the past six years leading to a massive outcry and moral panic. The Commission was literally in a coma, yet its resources were vanishing without let. To respond to the outrage of stakeholders, the Federal Government rightly set up a forensic audit which later turned controversial. Revelations of the forensic audit were both stunning and shocking. Amongst other findings, NDDC got some N6 trillion in its coffers from inception.
Some stakeholders believe that the Federal Government is complicit in the disaster that NDDC turned out to be. From funding deficit, undue interference, and weak oversight to the appointment of incompetent and visionless leadership. It conveys the impression that it is set up deliberately to fail. The reality also came to light that NDDC became a contract awarding entity controlled by the great and powerful in Abuja.
In a general sense, underdeveloped societies are often societies where there is poor leadership and where poor management of public resources is prevalent. Niger Delta communities have become prime examples of the “Resource Curse ” phenomenon where abundant natural resources often translate to negative net development, especially when we add environmental degradation to the equation. The accruals to NDDC have not maximally benefitted the region’s people.
The new board came at a time hope was badly needed in the region. They have two options: join in the conspiracy of those raping the area or stand on the side of history as the harbingers of hope. The new NDDC team must seize the moment and put their names on gold. This will only happen through positive transformational leadership that is action-oriented, and that will stay focused on the original mandate and vision of the Commission.
The next most important challenge to my mind is to study and restudy the comprehensive Niger Delta development master plan which was funded by the Commission. This will enable the new team identify cross-cutting areas of priority.
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