Niger Delta Region: What went wrong?

With the advent of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, the Niger-Delta region witnessed violent agitation for resource control and youth restiveness.

This ushered in an era of insecurity plagued with kidnapping and bombings of oil installation.

The nation’s economy was badly affected and this prompted the “carrot and stick approach” by former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

There began a massive clampdown on activities of militants through the Joint Task Force inaugurated by that administration, but the magic wand was the establishment of the Niger-Delta Development Commission.

The agency was to address the obvious neglect and genuine calls by people of the Niger-Delta Region. Other program such as the Amnesty Program had the NDDC as a pedestal to build on.

This brought a new lease of life to the region as militants embraced peace, laid down their arms in exchange for a better life with many being enrolled in higher institution of learning across the world in a bid to acquire much needed skills for survival in the 21st century.

After the establishment of the NDDC, the general elections of 2003, 2007, and 2011 were peaceful with pockets of permissible incidence while not being unmindful of the history of the region.

Not too distant review of the region brings to fore the obvious failures of government and noble intentions through it agencies which has brought about an increase in youth restiveness and creating an upsurge in acts of criminality.

I am bold to posit this contributed largely to the violence which plagued various elections in River State in the last two(2) years.

The Niger Delta Development Commission seem to have lost it steam after the departure of TimiAlaibe from office as the Managing Director.

It is widely acknowledged that under his leadership the NDDC produced the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan which adequately spelt out infrastructural development agenda for the region.

This, alongside the Amnesty Programme brought about peace in the Niger Delta and this accounted for the increase in the production of crude oil.

As we speak, it is pertinent to note that the NDDC’s Quick Impact Projects (an interim Action in which it embarked on interventionist programmes that would have direct and immediate impact on the people) have been abandoned.

In this interim plan, the Commission identified what it called Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) which according to NDDC would accelerate the temps of development in some key sectors of the regional economy. Seven of such QIP areas are identified.

These include: Education or Regional Model Secondary Schools, Institute of Good Governance and Sustainable Development, Agriculture, Micro and Small Business Development, and Power Supply and Energy just to highlight some key areas.

Other programs executed were the NDDC Mass Transit Scheme in which the NDDC procured buses and gave out those vehicles to the public on hire purchase.

The Mass Transit Scheme was conceived to alleviate poverty of Niger Delta people just as it was with the NDDC/Glo Empowerment Scheme.

The Amnesty Program soon abandoned its mission and vision of empowering repentant militants to giving them financial muscle to keep up with their banditry.

NDDC also became a government agency where cash are doled out rather than executing projects and policies to tackle the problems of the region.

Lastly, up till a month ago when the Vice President paid a visit to the region and held town hall meetings, the present administration adopted brute force and classified the region as enemy of the state and saboteurs.

This did not only escalate tension in the region, it hurts the nation’s earnings and constituted national security threat.

I hope with the recent visit and actions of the present administration, and a rededication to the action plans of the NDDC as it was during the TimiAlaibe’s era, peace will truly return to the Niger-Delta region. This I believe was what went wrong with the region.

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