Fractured but unbroken, By Dakuku Peterside 

The inauguration of the Management Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) last week, the second under President Buhari, was greeted with mixed reactions by the people of the Niger Delta and Nigerians in general. People’s responses are overwhelming, most of them connecting and straddling. I list here in no particular order of importance: the relief that the interim management jinx is finally broken, the political sweetener and the political season we are currently in, the hope that we can finally reduce the bad governance that has been destroyed. the image of the organization and dashed hope arising from the inability to translate good intentions into practical results, and the general belief that the intervention agencies have turned to the feasting ground of the insensitive elite.

It is relevant to understand the policies that led to the establishment of the intervention agency and its broad implications for the region and the Nigerian economy to address the concerns of a wide spectrum of Nigerians. It is common knowledge that the idea of ​​an interventionist agency for the oil-producing Niger Delta region is based on three critical pillars: the first is the well-recognized challenge of developing the Niger Delta, which was written in the Willinks Commission Report. 1958, before the country’s independence. The second is the urgent need for environmental justice on account of the widespread damage inflicted on the land and fauna resulting from the production of oil and gas flaring. The third reason is to address the general insecurity in the region, the cry of marginalization and restlessness associated with the oil-producing Niger Delta which has negatively affected the country’s revenue.

The introduction of the NDDC bill by the Obasanjo administration and the dramatic passage with the veto of the National Assembly gives hope that the country is now ready to remove the knee from the neck of the Niger delta region. From 2000 to 2008, the government seemed ready to define a new path to accelerate sustainable development in the region. Without thinking about the historical details, the ray of hope evaporated with the country’s leadership. The successful leaders of the country and many who manage the organization, see NDDC not from the premise of the founding vision but as a pot for the insatiable elite services at the expense of the region’s development. Suffice it to say that, lack of accountability, impunity and cases of corruption become frequent in the agency, and the change of leadership without following the law set the agency to be, sadly, the norm instead of the exception.

However, the derailment of NDDC became egregious and offensive in the past six years which led to massive outcry and moral panic. The commission is literally in a coma, but its resources are running out inexorably. In response to the anger of the stakeholders, the Federal Government rightly set up a forensic audit which later became controversial. The revelations of the forensic audit were surprising and shocking. Among other findings, NDDC got some N6 trillion in coffers from inception. 13,777 contracts among other contracts awarded between 2001 and 2019 worth over N3.3 trillion naira, cannot be fully counted. Some projects are still in progress, and some are abandoned. More serious organizations have taken on others, and many more are still available for verification. The forensic audit also found that much of the money was in the pockets of the rich and powerful.

Strangely no one has been prosecuted so far for the violations revealed by the forensic audit. Umana Umana, the current minister of the Niger delta ministry, recently announced that contracts worth over N250 billion were awarded during the forensic period without due process. The findings of the forensic auditor are consistent with previous findings by NEITI, which emphasized that the mismanagement of resources and corruption in the Commission is alarming and shameful.

Related to the gross mismanagement of the NDDC and accruing resources for the Commission is the bazaar that the Amnesty program, also designed for the Niger Delta, has come to represent. It leaves those interested in the Niger Delta with the impression that the elite section of the region is not serious about the development of the region or that Nigeria has always led the agency to prove that the people cannot drive the growth of the region. . No one can say the truth for sure.

Some stakeholders believe that the Federal Government is complicit in the disaster that befell NDDC. From funding deficits, unreasonable interference, and weak oversight to the appointment of incompetent and visionless leaders. It conveys the impression that it is set up deliberately to fail. The fact has also come to light that NDDC is a contracting entity controlled by the big and powerful in Abuja.

In addition, some regional elites, who have been involved directly cannot turn away their resources for development. These individuals from the region have been enmeshed in the contract scandal bourgeoning dimension, thus losing the moral right to hold the responsibility in the NDDC to account.

Indeed, over time, the deluge of malfeasance has led to calls for the abolition of the NDDC. This has far-reaching socio-political and economic implications, which, if studied extensively, are not beneficial. The challenge has nothing to do with the beneficiaries of the intervention, the people of the Niger delta or the justification for this particular intervention, but the current structure, processes, administration and quality of leadership of the agency.

In a general sense, underdeveloped societies are often societies where there is poor leadership and where poor management of public resources is prevalent. The Niger Delta community has been a prime example of the “Resource Curse” phenomenon where an abundance of natural resources often leads to negative net development, especially when we add environmental degradation to the equation. Accruals for NDDC have not benefited the people of the region to the maximum extent. The NDDC has not been able to impact in a structural way or reverse the dire human capital development trajectory in the region despite the enormous resources it has commanded over the past 22 years. The serial lack of visionary and responsible leadership in the Commission has left the region in ruins and destroyed the dreams of the people.

This is where the burden of history has shifted to the new NDDC Board and Executive management. The only option open to the new leadership of the NDDC is to break the vicious cycle and restore hope through positive and inspiring leadership actions that translate good intentions into developmental outcomes. It is a no-brainer that we expect a lot from the new NDDC regime. It cannot be business as usual, and any attempt to continue with the ways of the past administration will attract unmitigated punishment, if not retaliation, from the Niger Deltans. And there is a justification for this.

If something breaks the relative peace in the Niger Delta region today, especially because of the global energy crisis orchestrated by the Russia/Ukraine war, the international community will not be happy with Nigeria.

The new board comes at a time of much needed hope in the area. They have two choices: join the conspiracy that rapes the region or stand on the side of history as a harbinger of hope. The new NDDC team should take its time and put its name in gold. This will only happen through action-oriented positive transformational leadership, and will remain focused on the Commission’s original mandate and vision.

I understand that the forensic audit report suggests a far-reaching restructuring and reorganization of the NDDC, and any attempt to investigate in depth would go beyond this section. However, I would advise that as soon as possible after taking office, he should do the following:

Initially, the immediate mandate of the new team was to ensure that there was no unrest in the region. As the Niger Delta coughs, the cold grips the international oil market. Such instability in the very liquid economic reality after covid 19, Russian/NATO luxury, and global economic and political tensions will not be a good development. Global energy security is paramount today.

The next most important challenge to my mind is to study and re-study the comprehensive Niger Delta development master plan funded by the Commission. This will enable the new team to identify cross-priority areas.

The third is housekeeping. It is to do things that are different from the past opprobrious direct Commission and chart the section for visible and tangible development impact in the region to remove the impression that people in the region can not drive development. This will demand a complete overhaul of the NDDC structure and processes to make them fit for purpose. The management must adopt a strategy that will make the NDDC lean, flexible, dynamic, and able to adapt to the changing external and internal conditions that shape our country while still being able to generate great development in the region.

The next major demand is to start a re-orientation among the youth and the elite towards a certain sense of right to share the resources of the region at the cost of real development. This has been the bane of NDDC. And the perception of NDDC as a cash cow must be changed at all costs.

Finally, the worst tragedy that has happened in the Niger Delta region in recent years is the wasted opportunity to raise the standard of living of the people. Therefore, there is no thought that the only motivation for the leadership of the newly inaugurated NDDC should be to make a real difference and leave a legacy that will be a reference and not an extrinsic reward. It is time to improve the lives of Niger Deltans through the instrumentality of NDDC. It is high time that all Niger Deltans will see a positive change in the approach of leadership, accountability, and probability in the Commission. Although our NDDC dream was broken, it was not broken.

Dakuku Peterside is a policy and leadership expert.