MAKING  NDDC NEW BOARD REWARDING

 The Niger Delta Development Commission was created in 2000, to among other things, find a lasting solution to the socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta Region.
The interventionist agency was created to thrive with federal government contribution, which shall be equivalent to 15% of the monthly statutory allocations due to member states of the Commission from the Federation Account; Oil and Gas processing companies’ contribution of 3% of their total budget; 50% of the Ecological Fund allocations due to member states;  proceeds from other NDDC assets: and miscellaneous sources, including, but not limited to, grants-in-aid, gifts, interests on deposits and investments, loans by federal and state government and any local or foreign bodies, and donations.
The above provisions partially or wholly explains the unabridged expectation Niger Deltans have placed on the Commission particularly the incoming board recently appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 29th August, 2023. The board which has been screened and confirmed and now awaits inauguration,  has Mr Chiedu Ebie,  Lawyer and former Secretary to the Delta State Government, as Chairman alongside 16 other members.


As an incentive to achieving the given mandate, the board when inaugurated should productively look back and ask the following solution-oriented questions; how have successive boards of the NDDC managed funds from the federal government? What role have governments in the Niger Delta played in its development? Will more funds in the coffers of the Commission translate into greater well-being for its citizens? What role has previous boards played to ensure equitable distribution of economic resources to the different ethnic nationalities within the Niger Delta?

What incentives or deterrents are in place to promote accountability and transparency with government spending?
Has the past failure of the Commission to transfer development to the Niger Deltans hastened the emergence of ethnic-based groups striving for self-determination and the control of natural resources? On the other hands, will proper management of resource by the new board yield greater development for the region?
Why the above posers are without doubt important is that NDDC as a Commission created to play key role in attracting development, build infrastructure and provide well planned fiscal incentives and most importantly establish good relationships with oil and gas-producing communities has, contrary to expectation, left the region barefaced of infrastructure and development.

 To solve this lingering challenge, the incoming members of the board must first admit that many of the villages and communities within its purview daily tell stories of a people without a good survival record. They are at intervals either sacked or their property destroyed by floods, their people particularly children decimated or dispersed. They endure poverty, economic powerlessness and outright deprivation. This is the order of the day among oil and gas-bearing communities in the region.
Viewed differently, there is no doubt that the agency and incoming board have sincere desire to move the oil and gas parts of the state forward.  But in the present circumstance, mere declaration of intent will not be enough. In fact, it will be highly rewarding and Niger Deltans will of course appreciate if the board studies and presents for all to see; a clear definition of problems inherent in the region, means chosen to address them and establishment of a glaring  system that connects the poor with good means of livelihood – food, job, and security.

Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi, Programme Coordinator SEJA, Lagos