Buhari and the NDDC conundrum – Part 2

The NDDC and indeed OMPADEC before it, were all conceived as interventionist agencies to address the critical problems of pollution and degrading of the ecosystem of that region, all resulting from the oil exploration and production activities going on there. This struggle has consumed so many lives and destinies, including that of Isaac Adaka Boro, Dr. Ken Saro-Wiwa, etc. One is therefore surprised that the people of the Niger-Delta see the NDDC as a goldmine, to be deployed to line the pockets of militants, ethnic warlords and regional politicians.

What has happened over the years is that projects are deliberately cooked up without any intention to execute them and the people are short-changed year in year out, through the NDDC. I have never seen a people who hate and work against their own selves and interests, as those of the Niger-Delta area. They know these phony contractors, who are their brothers and sisters, they live with them in the same creeks and mangroves and yet they cannot stand up to challenge them and hold them accountable for the humongous funds allocated for fake projects.

There is no transparent procedure for the award of contracts in the NDDC, there is no verifiable means of monitoring the projects to ensure execution and even when projects are ‘delivered’, there is no correlation between what was awarded and what has been executed, in terms of quality and specification. It is unthinkable that the NDDC has been in existence since 2000 and yet, there is no major project that is recorded against its name as tangible and durable.

The major road leading to the main communities in Ilaje Local Government has been abandoned for years after the exit of the Olusegun Agagu administration and it takes prayers to undertake a journey on the road. President Buhari has now compounded the problems of the NDDC by setting up a panel to undertake a forensic audit of the agency, without the liver to release the report, ostensibly for political reasons, as the 2023 election is around the corner. There are enough provisions in the NDDC Act to safeguard against corruption and mismanagement but because those who find their ways into its board are politicians who are close to power, the willpower to dig deep into the rot in the NDDC is lacking.

The NDDC Act places the burden of constituting its board on the President and the National Assembly, so the buck stops on the President’s table. An agency set up to address physical development of the region that is producing the wealth of the nation cannot and should not be a tool for political patronage. How did the Federal Government build the federal capital city, to make it desirable as the seat of power? Who are the contractors that laid the foundation for the infrastructure of Abuja? The President cannot afford to stand aloof and leave NDDC in the hands of politicians who have captured the agency as their cash cow, or else we make a mockery of the whole anti-corruption war. Let us immediately spread the dragnet, to cover all the member States of the NDDC, to dig out phantom projects and abandoned contracts.

The other point is that of criminal diversion of NDDC projects. The NDDC Act states clearly that only member States can benefit from all projects to be executed by the Board, but what we have in practice is that politicians, especially the governors, have perfected the style of diverting NDDC projects to their domains, particularly in those states like Abia, Imo, Edo and Ondo, where oil production and exploration are not visible in all the local government areas.

As a matter of urgency and deliberate policy, the President and the National Assembly should review the current list being proposed for the board of the agency to ensure proper representation and full compliance with the enabling act setting up the Commission. The plight of the people of the Niger-Delta is very unfortunate indeed, when it is considered that it is the same wealth they sit upon that is impoverishing them. We were born in the creeks and the region has remained like that ever since, with critical infrastructure such as electricity, water and good roads, all missing in the region.

In addition, the annual budget of the NDDC should be subject to public scrutiny, in order to take stock of the projects itemised in the said budget. By year 2023, the NDDC will be marking 23 wasted years of perfidy, failure, incompetence, stealing and shameless corruption and yet, the people who have the responsibility to reposition the agency are busy positioning their cronies in juicy appointments ahead of the coming elections. It is rather unfortunate, I dare say.

Concluded
Adegboruwa is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).