On Buhari’s commitment to Niger Delta devt

When President Muhammadu Buhari took over the running of governmental affairs at the centre in 2015, not many believed he was going to show any serious commitment to the development of the Niger Delta region.  The thinking was that the Niger Delta under Buhari would witness another round of neglect that has made the region […]

When President Muhammadu Buhari took over the running of governmental affairs at the centre in 2015, not many believed he was going to show any serious commitment to the development of the Niger Delta region. 

The thinking was that the Niger Delta under Buhari would witness another round of neglect that has made the region to remain completely backward in terms of development, despite being Nigeria’s oil hub where the country’s main revenue comes from. 

Buhari, however, appears to be proving those with such pessimistic view wrong with the great concern he is currently showing about the plight of the Niger Deltans and the needed attention being given to the issues of the region. This is why many have continued to call on the people of Niger Delta, particularly those involved in militant activities, to allow peace to reign. 

The Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, for instance, at the board’s inaugural meeting, cited the increase in the budgets of the Niger Delta Affairs ministry, the NDDC and the Amnesty Programme, the fresh urgency for the completion of the East-West Road, the East-West rail line and the Ogoni Clean-up as efforts showing Buhari’s determination towards the advancement of the Niger Delta.   

According to him, destruction of oil facilities, pipeline vandalization and damage done to other national assets within the Niger Delta would only help to further exacerbate the monumental infrastructural and environmental challenges confronting the region, rather than solving them.  The Managing Director (MD) of NDDC, Mr. Nsima Ekere had equally at a forum asked the people of Niger Delta to be calm and cooperate with the administration of Buhari towards the provision of infrastructure in the region. 

While hailing FG’s commitment to Niger Delta development and the adoption of its 16-point demand as a working document for the development of the Niger Delta axis of the country, the Pan-Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) stated that “beyond rhetorics, the federal government has given definite approval for the opening of the Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko as well as the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) comprising the Gas City Project at Ogidigben and the Deep Seaport in Gbaramatu, Warri South-West LGA, Delta State. These projects, when fully operational, will cause a turn-around of the socio-economic and security landscape of not just in Delta State, but the entire country.”

Michael Jegede, a media practitioner wrote from Abuja