Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC) wasted trillions of dollars without achieving its
mandate in the region.
A statement by Kelvin Ebiri, the governor’s special adviser
on media, noted that Wike spoke when he played host to the interim management
committee of the NDDC at the government house, Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.
He said the NDDC wasted funds bowing to the dictates of
outsiders, instead of focusing on how to lift the region out of poverty.
“The problem with us is that you allow people outside to control you. You want to have godfathers from east, west and north. NDDC is created for Niger Delta. Use the money for the people and region,” Wike said.
“They are abusing us that Niger Delta is a curse. Trillions
of dollars have been spent, and we cannot say this is what we have spent the
money on.
“Those Abuja portfolio contractors are part of the people
controlling you. They tell you what to do and you do it for fear that they will
remove you. But eventually, you will be removed. So, why not work for the
people? When you’re removed, you’ll know you did your best for the region.”
The governor also cautioned the NDDC management to obey the
subsisting court order that makes it mandatory for the commission to seek the
consent of the state government before embarking on any project.
“I will not hesitate to tell the attorney-general to file
contempt against officials of NDDC and NDDC itself. We will not hesitate,
because we have come to the time that Nigerians must understand we must follow
rules,” Wike said.
“The only way you can talk about good governance is when you
obey the rule of law. There cannot be good governance when there is nothing to
show you obey the law. Good governance is predicated on the rule of law.”
Wike condemned the posture of some ethnic groups in the
region, saying the notion that only people from core Niger Delta states should
be appointed by the commission must stop.
“Anybody can be appointed in Niger Delta. There are people
who believe that if they appoint somebody from Edo or Cross River states for
example, they say ‘no’, that those people are not the core Niger Delta states.
We have to stop that,” he said.
“NDDC does not belong to any ethnic group in the Niger Delta
region. It does not belong to anybody. There are people who have seen
themselves that they are the owners of NDDC. They leave their state and come to
NDDC to block NDDC gate.
“We are peaceful people, but nobody should push us to the
point where we can tell you ‘enough is enough’.
“The next time they try it again to cause crisis in our
state, I’ll mobilise our people against them. I am not saying if you have
grievance with NDDC you shouldn’t seek how to settle it. But don’t use it to
cause problem for us, to begin to make economic activities not to move on.”
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