… Says Niger Delta deserves equity, not charity

… Distances self from PDP, affirms loyalty to Ijaw Nation, Niger Delta, Nigeria

… Insists swampy terrain no reason to leave Bayelsa behind

Former Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs and ex-Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kemebradigha Kuku, has thrown his weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Kuku hinged his decision on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project, stressing that the Ijaw Nation and the wider Niger Delta deserve development commensurate with their contribution to the wealth of the country.

In a statement made available to newsmen, Kuku described the coastal highway as an ambitious national infrastructure undertaking worthy of recognition, urging that it be situated within what he described as a long-term national development plan capable of outliving any single administration.

The former legislator and lawyer argued that the Niger Delta’s claim to infrastructure is a question of fairness rather than favour, stressing that communities whose land and waters have sustained the national economy should not be left to struggle with poor roads and weak infrastructure.

Kuku also clarified his political stance, distancing himself from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while affirming loyalty to the Ijaw Nation, the Niger Delta and Nigeria.

He maintained that the Goodluck Jonathan administration, under which he served, did not deliver every element of the development agenda that followed the 2009 amnesty and cautioned against citing past inabilities as a reason to abandon unfinished commitments.

He further called on the federal government to subject the coastal highway project to public scrutiny, insisting that its route, costs, financing, procurement processes and environmental assessments be made open to Nigerians, warning that concerns about the route should not be dismissed as disloyalty to the President.

Kuku said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves recognition for pursuing an ambitious national infrastructure agenda. Leadership sometimes requires the courage to contemplate projects that previous administrations discussed but did not bring to fruition.

“Let me make it clear that I am not a PDP boy. I served my country under President Goodluck Jonathan, and I am proud of that service, but my loyalty has always been to the Ijaw Nation, the Niger Delta and Nigeria, not to any political party. Today, I support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu because I see in him a leader willing to take on the kind of bold projects our region has waited decades for.

“Supporting the President does not mean I will stop asking hard questions. It means I believe this government can deliver for the Niger Delta, and I intend to hold it to that promise.

“The Niger Delta does not deserve development as an act of charity. It deserves development as a matter of equity, responsibility and national justice.”

He pointed to decades of oil spills, gas flaring and damaged fishing grounds, noting that communities whose land and waters have sustained the national economy still grapple with poor roads and weak infrastructure.

“The region should not have to plead for attention each time a major national project is conceived,” he stated.

Addressing Bayelsa’s swampy terrain, Kuku insisted that wetlands and creeks were no excuse for leaving the state behind, citing road projects under successive administrations, including that of Governor Douye Diri.

“Technical difficulties should inform the solution, not predetermine the exclusion of communities that have legitimate development claims. Public service is not served by pretending that every promise was fulfilled. Public scrutiny is not opposition to development,” he said.