Sara-Igbe Tasks President Bola Tinubu on Development in Niger Delta Region

--Seeks Development in Niger Delta Region

An elder statesman and former spokesman of Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, His Royal Highness, Anas Sara-Igbe, has called on President Bola Tinubu to distance himself from the political drama that is playing out in Rivers State and concentrate on the wholistic development of the region.

The respected elder statesman and paramount ruler of the Kula Kingdom of Rivers State pleaded with President Tinubu to order the release of all monies the Federal Government is owing the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, so as to embark on more projects and be able to meet its indebtedness to most of its genuine contractors.

Sara-Igbe also called on the President to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to release all monies paid to them from defaulting contractors and organisations to the NDDC.

He also called for the rejigging of the Amnesty Programme and increase in its funding for adequate training and empowerment of the youths in the region.

Sara-Igbe commended the Federal Government for its intervention so far in the region, stating: “I will say that the Federal Government has done much in the Niger Delta Region.   We have the 13 per cent derivation, NDDC, the Armnesty Programme, and the Ministry of Niger Delta Development.  Though having all these does not mean that all other federal ministries like the Ministry of Works, Agriculture, Health and others should not contribute meaningfully to the development of the region.

“Many administrations have come and gone, today we are looking at President Bola Tinubu.  Let us see how sincere he is.  Niger Deltans will support him if he is sincere but if he is not, the President will see the bitter side of the Niger Delta people, especially the Ijaw people.”

Proffering solution for the rapid development of the region, the former PANDEF spokesman said: “With the increased oil production in the Niger Delta, if President Bola Tinubu can ensure speedy completion of the East-West Road from Benin to Calabar, the entire Niger Delta people will fully support his administration.

“To be able to achieve this feat, President Tinubu should know that budgetary allocations alone cannot complete this task.  Our President should think outside the box.

“Julius Berger has shown capacity in road construction in Nigeria and with increased oil production in the region, they should be allowed to lift oil as part payment of their fees.

“The Bonny-Bodo Road that is currently being financed with NLNG taxes will take decades to completed if tranches of gas are not allocated to the construction company as part payment.

“Mr. President, I assure you that if this magic wand is applied to road construction in the region, there will be rapid development.  The Niger Delta people will be very happy and peace will prevail in the region.

“Many Nigerians have suffered from the perennial flooding of the River Niger from the release of excess water from Lagdo Dam in Cameroun and the Federal Government has not prioritized the building of a buffer dam to contain the excess water from Cameroun.  Neither has it deemed it necessary to adequately dredge the River Niger to allow the blue economy to function effectively and ease pressure on our roads.

“Mr. President should ensure that the Niger Delta Ports are functional rather than concentrating all shipping activities in Lagos.

“The Niger Delta people have suffered enough, we don’t need peace of the graveyard, we need wholistic solutions to our problems.  We need trawlers and nets for our fishermen not dug-out canoes.

“Let no one be deceived, what we have in the Niger Delta today is graveyard silence not peace.  Thank God for the likes of the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, who has been holding down the pressure from boiling over.

“We urgently need the approval of modular refineries for our teeming youths who have been involved in illegal refining of crude oil [popularly known as kpofire] to get diesel, kerosene and adulterated premium motor spirit to stay alive even though many have been consumed by the crude method of going about the business.

Speaking on the issue of the construction of the East-West Road which has lingered for over 20 years Sara Igbe said: The problems with the Niger Delta Region I have always maintained is the Niger Deltans themselves. The Ministers of the Ministry of the Niger Delta Affairs since inception has always been from a section of the region but they have not been able to complete this all-important road. 

Before Mr.  Godspower Orubebe came, the East-West Road project was with the Federal Ministry of Works.  Unfortunately, that road is yet to be completed.  We have leaders in the region who are selfish, both in the Federal executive council, state and local government levels.  They are not interested in the development of the region.  All they are interested in is their personal ambition.  That is why we are in the state we are today.

 “The present Senate President, Dr Godswill Akpabio, while he was Minister of the Niger Delta Ministry made lot of promises.  He deceived the Eleme people of Rivers State about the completion of that section of the road from Aba Road to Eleme Park where RCC claimed their contract started from.

Today, as the Senate President, he and his distinguished colleagues passed the budget even when a paltry sum was allocated amidst cry from his colleagues from Bayelsa begging for more money for the completion of the project which has been in the doldrums for the past 20 years but Akpabio ignored their cry and slammed the sledge hammer against them.

“So, when the Niger Deltans are serious with the development of the region, they will get what they want.

Speaking further, he said: “It will interest you to know that in 2016 when PANDEF rolled out its 16-point agenda, the East West Road was one of the its priorities but the then Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu who is from Agbor in Delta State, killed that agenda.  Rather, he came out with his own 20-point agenda that never saw the light of the day.

 Dr. Kachikwu killed the establishment of modular refineries with his difficult conditions that the youth of the Niger Delta could never have met.

Secondly, the Governors of the Niger Delta, I am sorry to say are docile, not ready to come together and form a formidable bloc to lobby for the development of the region.

At first, the people of the Niger Delta, especially the youth strongly believed that the Federal Government was solely responsible for the total neglect of the region hence their initial aggressiveness.  But lately, they have come to realise that the Governors of the Niger Delta constitute a major part of their problems of neglect and unemployment.  The oil-bearing communities are not benefiting from the 13 per cent oil derivation accruing to them, rather the governors embark on white elephant projects like building flyovers and construction of airports while the people of oil-bearing communities cannot get to their villages by road or cruise in luxury boats to their villages and towns.  They have to make do with rickety wooden boats and dug-out canoes.