Niger Delta ex-agitators have hailed the reported decision of President Bola Tinubu to return the supervision of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the Presidency.
  
National Secretary of the First Phase Ex-agitators, Mr. Nature Dumale, stated in Port Harcourt, at the weekend, that it was heart-warming to hear that the NDDC would henceforth report directly to the President, just like the North East Development Commission (NEDC).
  
He said the development was like a prayer answered and recalled that he had in the past led a campaign for the commission to be directly supervised by the President.
  
Dumale, who is also the Chairman of Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) Strategic Communication Committee (SCC), said Tinubu had, by the singular act, demonstrated his genuine intention to turn around the fortunes of NDDC.
  
Insisting that the Niger Delta had suffered underdevelopment over the years because greedy individuals were allowed to convert many interventions by the Federal Government for the region into their estates, he said: “We want to use this opportunity to appreciate the President for the wisdom in returning the NDDC to the Presidency. We believe that this will speed up the development of the region and stem the culture of turning the commission into a cash cow.
  
“For us, summoning the political will to move the interventionist agency back to the Presidency is a sign that the President has good intentions for the Niger Delta. This means that he wants proper supervision of the NDDC.”

According to the ex-agitators, the Niger Delta has been suffering because of mismanagement. This move will engender accountability, transparency and the much-touted development of the Niger Delta.
  
“This is one step the President has taken to give us hope as leaders in the region. We believe that the NDDC under the supervision of the Presidency would facilitate meaningful development. 
  
“The only time we experienced some development was when NDDC was under the direct supervision of the Presidency. As soon as it was moved to the Ministry of Niger Delta, it became a cash cow for the Niger Delta cartel, whose only agenda was to keep the Niger Delta underdeveloped.”
  
Dumale said they discovered that apart from NDDC and PAP, there was Niger Delta Recovery Plan (NDRP), which mandated the Ministries of Petroleum, Environment and Niger Delta Affairs to work in synergy in articulating the development of the region.
  
He continued: “We live in an environment where a lot is taken away daily by the Federal Government, yet there is little to show for it. The condition of Ogoni-Onne-Eleme Road, which is part of the East-West Road, comes to mind. The road has remained a death trap, making it impossible for free movement of goods.
  
“We stand behind Tinubu and we await, with great enthusiasm and renewed vigour, the speedy development of our homeland.”