By Dr Samuel Ogbuku
For the past 25 years, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been the primary vehicle for the rapid and sustainable development of the Niger Delta region. It has been a remarkable journey, marked by significant milestones and daunting challenges.
The NDDC was established by an Act of the National Assembly in 2000 to address the long-standing development challenges facing the Niger Delta Region. The agency’s creation came as a considerable relief to oil-producing communities, following the region’s long-standing marginalisation since the discovery of crude oil in commercial quantities in 1956 at Oloibiri in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Concerns for the region have a long history, dating back to the Henry Willinks Commission of 1958, when, for the first time, the agitations of the people of the Niger Delta for equity, justice, and development were distilled into a document.
Since the years of agitation for a better condition of living in the Niger Delta region, many prescriptions have been made on how best to fast-track the development process.
The NDDC, which followed other intervention agencies, was mandated to drive development in Nigeria’s oil-rich region. Its mission is “to facilitate the rapid, even and sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful.”
Interestingly, the urgency to transform the Niger Delta has heightened due to increased awareness and widespread access to information.
The NDDC was set up in response to agitations by the people of the Niger Delta for an interventionist agency which will offer “a lasting solution to the long-standing socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta region.”
Fast-tracking development in the Niger Delta is not only desirable, but it is imperative for the sustainable peace that would ensure the continued exploitation of the oil and gas resources, which constitute over 90 per cent of Nigeria’s export earnings.
Since its inception, the Commission has endeavoured to faithfully fulfil its mandate to transform the Niger Delta region as envisioned by its stakeholders. In striving to make a difference, successive boards in the Commission have been guided by the vision of the Commission, which is to create an enabling environment for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.
Over the years, the Commission has worked diligently to fulfil its mandate of facilitating sustainable regional development. It has undertaken thousands of infrastructural projects, covering roads, water supply, electrification, canalisation, shore protection, jetties, etc., attended to the poverty issues with empowerment and skill acquisition programmes, established a scholarship scheme in the sciences for post-graduate studies and implemented a region-wide free medical mission to treat indigent but ailing Niger Deltans, among many other programmes.
In these past years, the NDDC has done its best to convince its stakeholders that it is the right agency for achieving the desired peace and development in the Niger Delta through the accountable and equitable allocation of resources for infrastructural development and empowerment.
Evidence abounds that NDDC’s projects and programmes are the most visible Federal Government’s presence in the Niger Delta region. The Commission has addressed regional development issues, engaging with relevant stakeholders, and is often regarded as the best option for regional development among other alternatives.
No doubt, considerable progress has been made in developing communities across the Niger Delta region and these have direct bearing on the living conditions of the ordinary people.
Many Niger Deltans, who shared their views on the contributions of the NDDC, agree that the Commission has planted its imprints in the areas of education, healthcare, roads and bridges, agriculture, water, electricity, among others.
It is noteworthy that despite funding challenges, the NDDC is genuinely making a difference in the lives of the people in its mandate states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.
The NDDC is undertaking significant initiatives across the oil-producing states to foster goodwill for it in all areas of the region.
Some of the programmes embarked upon by the Commission indicate that they focus on what Prof. Klaus Schwab described as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, i.e., the technological boom.
In preparation for participating productively in the global knowledge and technology-driven economy, the NDDC has invested substantial resources in health and education. Since 2010, no less than 1,884 students have received scholarships, of which 1,066 were supported in M.Sc. programs and 345 in Ph.D. programmes. Over the years, the Commission’s Free Health Missions have treated over 1.2 million documented patients, visited 3,500 communities, and managed 6,000 referral cases in the healthcare sector.
These investments already yield results, with our postgraduate scholars earning distinctions and prizes worldwide. Imagine being able to create an enabling environment that allows them to return and contribute their skills to the development of the Niger Delta region.
Without a doubt, numerous development projects are spread across the region, and many more are ongoing, which have helped to quell earlier agitations in the Niger Delta region. However, some gaps still exist in some strategic physical infrastructures, such as highways, bridges, and waterways.
Like the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) before, the NDDC’s responses in some areas are inadequate, which could be attributed to underlying structural problems.
The challenges of instability in the leadership of the NDDC have not helped matters. However, the law which applies to the leadership of the Commission; namely Section 4 of the NDDC Establishment Act states: “A member of the board other than the ex-officio member shall hold office for a term of four years at the first instance and may be reappointed for a further term of four years and no more.”
The law’s drafters appreciated the need for stability and continuity. They understood that projects, programmes, and plans would be negatively affected without them.
The instability in the NDDC leadership has hurt the people of the Niger Delta region. In that circumstance, the energy that would have been used to serve the people of the long-neglected oil-rich region of Nigeria was dissipated in self-serving posturing by people who should know better.
Today, the NDDC management is driving a well-articulated reform policy of transitioning from Transaction to Transformation. No one or group of persons should be allowed to throw spanners in the works of sustainable development in the Niger Delta region.
After years of neglect and tokenism, Nigeria’s oil-rich region has entered a new era of growth and transformation.
Today, there are testimonials from people who are satisfied with the performance of the NDDC in recent times, as it strives to improve the living conditions of Niger Deltans. We now have refreshing stories of success after many years of unfulfilled expectations.
The recent inauguration of legacy projects also testifies to the positive impact of transitioning from transactional to transformational approaches, ensuring effective service delivery to the people.
The future is bright for Nigeria as a country and the Niger Delta region. However, as stakeholders and thought leaders, we must be determined to do what is proper for our people. We cannot afford to fail the Niger Delta.
- Ogbuku, Managing Director, NDDC, sent this from Port Harcourt.
