From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Despite her enormous contributions to the nation’s economy, Ndokwa nation of Delta State has witnessed political marginalisation and untold socio-economic neglect since 1905.
With three local governments of Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East and Ukwuani, Ndokwa is one of the three federal constituencies of Delta North senatorial district (Anioma).
The area is rich in terms of oil and gas deposits. Production quantum in Ndokwa land is over 155,000 barrels of crude oil per day and about 1.2 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.
Besides, the area has contributed in other ways to the advancement of Nigerian politics. In the days of slave trade, the old Aboh Kingdom was said to determine trade factors for the whites.
However, in modern day politics, Ndokwa nation appears not to have found its feet in the present political equation both in Delta State and the entire country.
This is despite posting a voting strength of 247,908 as total number of registered voters in the area in the 2019 election, according to records at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Ndokwa with the largest gas reserve in West Africa and crude oil production quantum coupled with arable land, has not been given its fair share of representation in the nation’s board of oil commission, for instance.
Since the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the year 2,000, no Ndokwa man or woman has been a member of its governing board. The story is not the same for other oil bearing ethnic nationalities in Delta State.
Moreover, the area is suffering infrastructure deficit. The Independent Power Project (IPP) which was built and commissioned in 2005 at Okpai, Ndokwa East Local Government Area but power was not stepped down in the area, leaving it in darkness and to the detriment of micro, small and medium scale businesses.
Accessing some of the riverine communities in Ndokwa land is by ancient pontoons due to lack of bridges over rivers and streams.
The marginalisation has made an average Ndokwa man and woman to ask rhetorically what offense have they committed to be subjected to the level of neglect politically and socio-economically.
Under-representation in key positions in government continues to stare them in the face. An Ndokwa man, Eric Opia, contested the 1991 governorship election on the platform of National Republican Convention (NRC) and lost, denying the area a strong voice in the executive arm.
Late Senator Patrick Osakwe represented the entire Delta North at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly between 1999 and 2011, but his representation did not yield much fruits for his kinsmen in Ndokwa land.
The highest they have come close is the office of deputy speaker of the state House of Assembly which they occupied from 2015 till date. Apart from that, the area has three representatives at the state assembly and a member at the House of Representatives.
However, 2023 appears to be another defining year for Ndokwa nation as the area has suddenly become the beautiful bride of Delta State politics. From the political scheming, the area is set to play a pivotal role in the election.
There appears to be a consensus among the various political parties to adopt Ndokwa politicians as governorship running mates for the 2023 contest.
Candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and current Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori picked the current chairman of the state board of internal revenue, Monday Onyeme as his running mate.
The main opposition party in the state, All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate and current Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege opted for the former deputy speaker of the state assembly, Friday Osanebi.
While Onyeme hails from Ndokwa West, Osanebi, a third term member of the House, hails from Ndokwa East, an area that is considered most marginalized in the federal constituency.
Although the legal tussle over the rightful candidate of the PDP is headed for the Supreme Court, Oborevwori’s challenger, David Edevbie, is primed to pick the current member representing the federal constituency at the Green Chamber, Ossai Nicholas Ossai as his running mate should the final outcome be in his favour.
On his part, former Minister of State for Education, Kenneth Gbagi who is flying the flag of Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Ken Pela of the Labour Party opted for female deputies also from the area.
While Gbagi opted for Mrs. Rosemary Oshilim Ishioma from Ukwuani, Labour Party and Pela nominated a Professor in University of Port Harcourt, Julie Nwabogo Umukoro, also from Ndokwa land as running mate.
Already, the development is yielding dividends in terms of appointive positions for politicians in Ndokwa land. Shortly after Osanebi was named running mate for APC, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa appointed two commissioners from his local government, Ndokwa East, ostensibly to checkmate his popularity in the locality.
Meanwhile, prominent sons of Ndokwa land are applauding the attention the area is getting in the present political equation, noting that the development would no doubt fast track the advancement of the once neglected oil bearing communities.
President-General of Ndokwa Neku Union (NNU), the umbrella body for the area, General Mike Ndubuisi (rtd), said the political attention to Ndokwa is in realisation of the fact that, that area has been grossly marginalized in so many ways, noting that it “is a very good development.
“It will bring recognition to Ndokwa land, it will bring more development and acceptance to Ndokwa land. We in Ndokwa land will have a sense of belonging to the state of the Big Heart, so to say.”
Pressed to be specific on areas of neglect and marginalisation, the NNU boss stated that the entire federal constituency lacked tertiary institutions unlike its counterparts in Delta State.
“If you look around, there is no tertiary institution in Ndokwa land which I think is a great oversight, no higher institution either by state or Federal Government in the area. I think that is the major one.
“And politically too, people of Ndokwa extraction have not held any higher political office. So we are really glad about this development,” he added.
Ndubuisi informed that NNU would be summoning all candidates in Ndokwa land, irrespective of political parties, to caution them on the need to maintain peace and play by the rules of the electoral umpire in the coming elections.
“We are holding a stakeholders meeting for all candidates of all the political parties from state House of Assembly to the deputy governorship candidates.
“We are going to appeal to everybody that we are all one, and that we should maintain peace. This is election, election is like a game, we should all play by the rules of the game.
“We expect our candidates to be addressing issues and not personalities during campaign, no insults, no abusive language,” he added.
Speaking in the same vein, Mr. Paul Odili who hails from the area, described the political attention as “a good thing, it means that Ndokwa is finally being recognised. We are a major stakeholder, we are oil and gas producing. As a matter of fact, it is long overdue.
“My prayer is that not long afterwards, there will also be a consensus on giving Ndokwa the governorship of the state. We have capable men and women who can do the job. So it is a good thing.”
Odili decried the infrastructure deficit in Ndokwa, saying that the situation was “very lamentable and that is why the recognition, I believe, is some kind of gradual recognition that Ndokwa people need to be accommodated and should be recognised and respected for their contributions.
“I am hoping that this will bring greater attention to the area, we really have been neglected for long, there is no question about that.
“If it turns out that the Ndokwa person becomes deputy governor to any of the party that eventually wins, that will be the highest position Ndokwa has attained in Delta State.
“Deputy governor is number two in the hierarchy. So we pray that the position will be used to start addressing the developmental challenges in the area. So I am quite happy but a lot still needs to be done.”
A social commentator in Asaba, Mr. Thomas Nwaneri, told our correspondent that Ndokwa area has become attractive not only for its economic potentials but also the tussle by the parties to secure majority of votes from the area on sentimental grounds.
Nwaneri contended that the consensus decision to pick deputies from Ndokwa land was politically strategic for the respective parties.
“The political parties especially the opposition, would want to sell a message to the electorate in the area that the ruling party has deliberately neglected them since the return of democracy in 1999.
“There are many points for the opposition to marshal out during campaigns. But also the ruling party will have its defense, particularly for the fact that most of the opposition members defected from the ruling party,” he said.
Nevertheless, the political recognition and economic liberation of the oil rich Ndokwa may have begun with the nomination of their sons and daughters as running mates in next year’s election.
With one of them emerging as the number two citizen of the state, the people of the area are hopeful that a strong voice would be representing them in 2023 and beyond.