By Ife Osemedua
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Niger Delta region needs a new deal, having suffered so much deprivation and neglect.
The President disclosed that the Federal Government was repositioning the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Amnesty Programme to ensure they deliver on their mandates to develop the region.
Buhari stated this yesterday while declaring open, the fourth meeting of the National Council on Niger Delta at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt.
Represented by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Buhari said he was committed to changing the fortunes of the region to give the people a new lease of life, saying the ongoing forensic audit of the NDDC was expected to reposition the Commission and galvanise it towards optimal development and provide the needed infrastructure for socio-economic development that the region so much requires.
He added: “Due to the efforts and commitment of the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, the new headquarters building of the NDDC, which had been ongoing in the last 24 years, has been completed and is awaiting commissioning by my administration.”
He stated that the completion of the East-West road, which is a priority to his government, has been handed over to the Ministry, assuring that it would be delivered by the end of next year or the early part of 2022.
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike,bin his response, lamented that although the region was blessed with mineral resources, its people were living in poverty and underdevelopment.
Wike, who was represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, said that the National Council on Niger Delta should serve as a platform for the people of the region to articulate their needs and challenges, adding: “With political will, we can overcome the challenges confronting the region, while we continue the struggle for the enthronement of true federalism in the country.”
The governor regretted the lack of collaboration between the NDDC and state governments in the region, calling on the Commission to work in concert with the state governments to ensure the greatest impact of projects and programmes for the people.