NDDC: Why Obasanjo Must Get it Right
From the passion the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has generated, it appears to be the last ditch effort to assuage
past wrongs against the area generally agreed to be the proverbial goose that lays the golden eggs.
The problem of Niger Delta predates Nigeria as a sovereign nation. Apart from the demands of minority rights activists, many, including the international
community, have become interested in events in the area particularly because of the effect of oil activities on the environment.
In the past, one or more measures had been put in place to address the environmental despoilation and social dislocation of oil exploration and exploitation.
The last was the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC).
Sadly, that well intentioned policy direction got derailed typically by the military brigands in government who saw it as another avenue to siphon into their pockets public money meant for a public cause. It was not a surprise then that OMPADEC failed. But NDDC must not fail. The initial hiccups associated with the drafting and legislation of the enabling law was evidence of the emotions with which Nigerians in and out of government have come to attach to the issue of Niger Delta.
From indications, President Obasanjo appears to be tardy on the issue. That may be because he prefers to err on
the side of caution. That is to be expected as, in the final analysis, what he does or fails to do will count for or against him at the bar of public opinion.
It is in this regard that he must be encouraged to go ahead and implement his decision to give the job of the chief executive to the best candidate who in his
judgment will deliver the goods.
Three issues in the Niger Delta Development Commission are prominent - one, the siting of the headquarters which was won by the Rivers State. Two, the managing director and three, the chairmanship of the commission. None is likely to be as controversial as the position of the managing director and the reason is pretty obvious. As the man in charge of the daily activities of the commission there is an enormous reservoir of resources and money to be deployed to get the tasking job of developing the area going. Delta State to which the office has been zoned on account of it being the highest oil producing area in the country, has a big heart indeed. With its proclivity to be boisterous, it approaches issues that affects it with an unusual gusto.
The diverse nature of its ethnic composition has much to do with this. To President Olusegun Obasanjo, therefore, taking a decision on this issue may turn out to be the devils alternative. In other words, whatever decision that is arrived at, somehow, will displease someone. Already, the heat is on between the Isokos, Itsekiris, Urhobos and the Ijaws who constitute the gladiators. They have started jostling to take full advantage of the opportunities thrown up by this matter. The president should see this as normal and be guided by an utmost good faith to do what is right and best for the benefit of the rural poor who have been on the receiving end of the devastation inflicted on the Niger Delta by nature.
It is for this reason that the government must ignore distractions by those who would rather prefer a situation of business as usual. Merit as one of the criteria for the job is most desirable as it would guarantee that a round peg is put on a round hole. The government is also considering playing down the ethnic factor in the choice of a candidate for the top job. Difficult as this may seem, it can be done because the job at hand demands that for the first time the authorities should be more patriotic in their decision devoid of debilitating ethnic sentiment that has, apparently, overtaken the nations sense of what is fair and just.
Because of what happened to OMPADEC when it was handed over to a politician who saw it as an avenue to service his personal political interests, the president
must endeavour to choose a depoliticised candidate who, though may be interested in politics, is not a politician. They abound in Delta State. So also are men
and women of integrity with proven track records of performance in both the private and public sectors.
The writer is based in Benin City, Edo State