The South-south Reawakening Group, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has decried the impact of political influence on the interventionist agency, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Joseph Ambakederimo, the national coordinator of the group, said in a statement on Thursday, said the forensic audit of the operations of the NDDC initiated by Godswill Akpabio, the former minister of the ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, “succeeded primarily in erasing any form of citizen’s confidence in the commission”.
“The verdict of the forensic audit was more likely a recommendation for the scrapping of the commission for gross failure,” the statement reads.
“Now the reality in the Niger Delta region, in the creeks and swamps, is a general feeling of apathy and indifference to the workings and vision of the NDDC.
“The commission can only win if it has the buy-in and support of the people if they collectively take ownership of the commission and join hands to achieve the Niger Delta of our dream.”
Ambakederimo further lamented that the “years of mismanagement and massive misappropriation and diversion of the NDDC funds have eroded citizen’s interest in the affairs of the commission”.
He added that “it will also be beneficial to point out that the NDDC as an interventionist agency is not a complete failure as projected”.
“The commission has to its credit, a long list of projects completed and ongoing in the region,” he said.
“There are roads that have cut through Virgin forests, bridges built to access the remotest hamlets in far-flung creeks, electricity and portable water provided, landing jetties provided, human capital development achieved and many more.”
Ambakederimo argued that the “drumming of the failure of the commission which could either be political or pecuniary, has stifled whatever achievements it has recorded.
“The greatest disservice that has happened to the NDDC is the political interference in the affairs of the commission,” he said.
Political interference is responsible for the high turnover of appointment of officials to oversee the workings of the commission and this hasn’t gone down well as it impacts negatively on the performance of even persons who may have the willpower to bring positive change to the region because they are being removed when they are almost getting set to seat properly to execute their mandate.”
