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Ben Dunno, Warri
A regional advocacy body, South South Reawakening Group, (SSRG), has proffered solutions on how the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) can live up to its bidding as interventionist agency to develop the region, noting that the Commission has all it takes to succeed when certain policies are put in place to enhance its operations.
The group also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on the reinstatement of Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, as the Managing Director of the Commission, describing it as a positive sign of Mr. President sincere commitment to the wellbeing of the people and sustainable development of the region.
Making the suggestion on how NDDC can be result-oriented in a statement issued yesterday, SSRG Convener, Comrade Joseph Ambakederimo, enumerated seven (7) key areas that needed amendments, especially in the Act establishing the Commission to enhance its efficiency on service delivery.
According to him; For the NDDC to perform optimally in line with the objectives of its establishment and yearnings of the Niger Delta people, we have a seven point recommendations to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and they are as follows; The fifteen percent contribution from the Federal government has become inadequate”.
“It has therefore become expedient for Mr. President to send an executive bill for the amendment of relevant sections of the NDDC establishment Act to increase its share of contribution to 25%”.
“The 3% contribution from the oil and gas companies increased to 10%, in addition to the ecological fund due the NDDC from the share of ecological funds released to states should be increased from 50% to 70%”.
“While an appreciable percentage of gas flare charge should be paid to the NDDC, the Commission should be considered to benefit from the recent and future windfall of revenue shared to various entities by the Federal government”.
“There is the need to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Development because the MNDD since its creation twelve years ago has failed woefully with no verifiable project traced to it. Including having overlapping functions with the NDDC”.
“Channel the budgetary provision of the MNDD to the NDDC for proper utilisation of the funds for provision of development infrastructure and capacity building of the youths of the region”.
“We call for all of these recommendations because it is the NDDC that reaches the remotest communities that produces oil and gas that fuels the Nigerian economy”.
“These communities bears the brunt of ecological degradation, therefore more funds should be ceded to the NDDC to continue to provide infrastructural development and better life to the inhabitants of these communities”.
“We hope that the recommendations should be looked at critically and attended to without bias as a result of the present economic realities”
