SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NIGER DELTA
At the International Conference on the Development of the Niger Delta Region
Port Harcourt, 10 December, 2001
It is a matter of great satisfaction for me to be here today. For one, I am pleased to declare open this important international conference on a theme of great concern for us all, namely, the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta Region. This theme is the cardinal purpose for establishing the Niger Delta Development Commission, who organised this conference. It is particularly satisfying for me to formally launch the NDDC today as a milestone in the policy commitments of our Administration.
For many people, particularly our people of the Niger Delta region, the NDDC has been set up as an answer to the yearnings of many years of insufficient and ineffective action to address demonstrable neglect of this well endowed region. It is indeed an enormous challenge for an agency to take on the responsibility of bringing to the region, steady and sustainable development, which our people rightly believe and deserve.
The NDDC fulfils the vision, the promise and the hope that this Administration will restore to the Niger Delta, as in all parts of this great country, the lasting security, the enduring peace and prosperity, the realisation of the abundant opportunities which, tragically, has so far eluded this richly-endowed region.
Personally, the NDDC is also the fulfillment of a promise I made in Yenagoa, in 1998, when, as a presidential candidate, I pledged to seek immediate solutions to the many problems which have for so long beset the region. On that visit, I was confronted by the grim spectre of a region under the tragic grip of poverty, under-development, infrastructural decay and violent conflict.
I was confronted by the bleak picture of farmers and fishermen of this agro-rich region, who have largely been deprived of their means of livelihood, through extensive pollution of their rivers and farmlands. And I was confronted by the reality of an educational system that was poor, a region whose basic infrastructures were under siege from both man and nature.
Given the abundant human, natural and material resources, it was little wonder then that I was also confronted, as indeed the whole nation was confronted, in the past two decades, by the anger and restiveness of this otherwise peace-loving and industrious people. And I determined in my heart, as is indeed my agenda for the Nigerian nation, to redress the wrongs of the past, and establish for our people, a new and positive culture of social, economic and democratic re-birth.
As I said when I inaugurated the Board of the Commission last December, I firmly believe in the potential of the NDDC to offer a lasting solution to the socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta region, which successive governments have had to grapple with even before independence.
The NDDC Bill could be said to have been gestating in my mind before the election and inauguration of our Administration. It was promptly drafted and sent to the National Assembly as the second Bill of our Administration.
That Bill envisaged a Commission that would foster a partnership for development, between all the development agencies operating in the region. In spite of past efforts, including, of course, the activities of the defunct OMPADEC, the Niger Delta region, as I found it, was full of abandoned projects and wrecked hopes. For me, and for the people of this region, NDDC's mission is to redress this sad tale of abandonment and to strive, working in the best traditions of accountability, transparency and probity, to rebuild that hope.
Apart from fulfilling a personal promise, let today's ceremony be the proper foundation for the actualization of the promise, that the natural endowment of this region has always held, for its people and for the entire nation.
The establishment of the NDDC is premised on it being a regional development initiative. It is expected to offer an enduring and sustainable solution to the development needs of the region, both in human, physical, economic and social terms. However, the NDDC itself is only one of such stakeholders in the Niger Delta. Its activities do not preclude, but rather complement, other Federal Government initiatives that are constitutionally due to the states and people of the region. Nor is the NDDC established to inhibit the local initiatives that are the normal responsibilities of State and Local Governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, local and international development agencies and the local communities. The federal ministries and agencies will also continue to carry out projects and initiatives in the region.
The NDDC Board is mandated to initiate, develop and facilitate the implementation of a comprehensive and detailed Master Plan for the Niger Delta region. This Master Plan will provide the blueprint for the co-ordination and utilisation of resources available from Government, the private sector, the international and local communities, for the sustainable development of the region. The Master Plan will also check against wastage of resources and conflicts due to duplication of efforts, as experienced in the past.
I note with satisfaction that the Commission has followed these directives by engaging the consultancy firm of GTZ, to develop this Master Plan. It is hoped that the NDDC will consequently unleash the potentials of the Niger Delta, and release the energy and vitality which will help the Niger Delta region realise the full complements of its promise the attainment of the people’s aspirations.
The NDDC will, thus:
► monitor development activities of all the stakeholders, to ensure that they comply with the approved Master Plan;
► serve as a clearing house during the planning and budgeting stages, to ensure that stakeholders are aware of what others are doing, or are planning to do; and
► confirm or disprove claims of development initiatives by the various stakeholders in the oil producing communities of the region.
In order to fully realise the region's potential, it is imperative that all stakeholders within the region come together and work towards a common goal: which is the improvement of the situation of the Niger Delta through an even and sustainable development. In working together, they must, of necessity, pool their resources together and share with the Federal Government the determination and commitment to address these identified needs, immediately.
It was envisaged that the NDDC would enjoy funding from all the stakeholders within the region. These are: the Federal Government, the State Governments in the region, Local Governments and the operating oil and gas companies. Unfortunately, however, the Bill that was passed for the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission deviated in significant areas, from the vision of this partnership. For instance, the State Governments, who are meant to be key partners, had been excluded from contributing to the funding of the Commission. This imposes sever constraints on NDDC’s ability to carry out its mandate, to say the least.
I am pleased to note that the Governors of the member-states of the NDDC have since proposed a compromise, by which an Amendment was sent to the National Assembly, to provide for the contribution, from the states, of 10 per cent of their statutory allocation from the Federation Account. Despite the delays, which have visited this Amendment, I am convinced that all the stakeholders, particularly the States, support the objectives of the Commission and would, therefore, contribute to its success.
As I have reminded the Board, the core concern of the NDDC is the development and well being of the people of the Niger Delta. The fundamental issues ought, therefore, to be above mundane politics. All stakeholders in the region must be contributors to the NDDC and must, of necessity, be involved in making this very important project a people-oriented success.
There are, indeed, numerous challenges before the NDDC. Some skeptics are already predicting its failure, on the basis of the notorious record and experience of OMPADEC and the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund. But, I can assure them, this time, it is not business as usual. In formulating the NDDC Bill, we drew lessons from the shortcomings of those agencies, while care was taken to include provisions, which will assist the Commission in discharging its responsibilities, effectively and creditably.
For instance, apart from the mode of funding, there are aspects of the NDDC Act that are aimed at ensuring transparency, equity and accountability. There is an advisory committee, made up of the Governors of the Niger Delta States, who will regularly scrutinize the activities of the Commission. A monitoring committee, with the secretariat in the office of the Minister of Inter-Governmental Relations and NDDC Monitoring in the Presidency, will have access to the books of accounts and other records of the NDDC and submit periodic reports to me. The Board is also expected to submit to my office, quarterly reports, as well as audited annual accounts and reports of its activities.
It is my belief that the Board of the Commission, as currently constituted, will sustain this vision. It is my belief that they will meet the challenge of converting the comparative advantages of the region into competitive advantages. This will translate into more sustainable jobs, better infrastructural facilities and an improved standard of living. These advantages are also in the areas of oil and gas, as well as in the non-oil resources, whose potentials I have also directed the Commission to explore.
Let me say here what the NDDC is not: The NDDC is not a welfare machine to dispense cash and contracts. There are those who lay claim to NDDC’s budget with the irresponsible argument that the money belongs to the people of the Niger Delta, and that the NDDC is here to keep the peoples of Niger Delta on its pay roll. Here we have the famous developmental axiom that it is better to teach a hungry man how to fish than to give him fish for his daily consumption. The development of a person is about how he can meaningfully and productively live his life while contributing to his society. This is sustainable development. The other way would encourage the propagation of communities of ‘kept people’. This would diminish their sense of worth. It would destroy their sense of dignity. It would empty their life of any sense of purpose. In other words it would spoil them. And this is not what we mean by sustainable development. And I am sure no responsible leader would want that of his or her community.
In the same vein, I would like to condemn outright the reports of extortion that seems to be spreading around here. According to these reports, groups and individuals are said to be besieging operation sites and offices of firms and demanding to be ‘settled’, often with the threats and actions of disruption to operations. We condemn in absolute terms the criminal and anti-social behaviour of those who, for instance, vandalise installations to induce ecological damage for which they then claim compensation. Others vandalise and demand that they be paid in order to allow repairs. And there are those who have been reported to demand salaries for local labour quota even when there is no engagement of such labour. This is extortion. It is illegal. And it is immoral. Companies must resist it. And community leaders should desist from it. And I hope the NDDC will ensure an end to it.
In directing the NDDC to organise this international conference we have been mindful of the fact that the relative underdevelopment of the Niger Delta has caught the attention of the international community, mostly as a result of external publicity of efforts by individuals and groups seeking international intervention. International NGO’s and organisation have made their presence felt here.
We appreciate the interest and the concern of the international community since the product from this area is important to both the national and the world economy. Indeed everyone is welcome to make contributions to the recognised problems of Niger Delta. But it must be recognised that these problems are first and foremost Nigerian problems, that is they are problems experienced by Nigerians and for which Nigerians are ultimately responsible for finding solutions. This fact has to be recognised and borne in mind at all times by any persons or groups, no matter how well intentioned, who wish to help out. And the international involvement must be predicated on Nigerian initiative, policies and programmes, such as the NDDC. To ignore this fact would entail the risk of doing more harm than good. And we do not want that.
This international Conference on the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta, is the first in a series of planned activities and consultations intended to fashion out a coherent vision and Plan of Action for the promotion of the region's development.
The Conference will, therefore, energise strategies, through which the planned regional development of the NDDC will align business objectives with those of broad human development, by encouraging partnerships among communities, the private sector, donors, development agencies and NGOs. Above all, it is intended to attract foreign participation in the development of the Niger Delta, both in terms of strategies, investments and collaborations.
Thus we note with sincere appreciation the presence in our midst of UNDP Administrator, Mr Mallock Brown, who is here to support the NDDC initiative. You are most welcome Mr Brown. Let me say that your attendance and participation underscore the significance of our approach to the problems of the development of the region.
Let me also welcome the representatives of other international organisations. I appreciate your enthusiasm for wanting to join us working for the enduring development of the region, as well as other regions of the country. I thank you for your kind support, and for sharing with us in this noble objective.
The International Conference will encourage widespread participation in this great task. It will focus on the following objectives:
► Facilitating dialogue among key stakeholders;
► Identifying, prioritising and building consensus around key development issues;
► Developing a framework for addressing Niger Delta development;
► Mobilising additional resources for co-ordinated interventions, and I am particularly interested in this; and
► Evolving a plan and institutional mechanism for sustained development strategies and implementation.
The conference will also focus on such themes as Governance Issues, Basic Social Services, Sustainable Livelihoods and Physical and Rural Infrastructure.
It is my fervent hope that the conference will address these themes, with a view to achieving the stated objectives. I am convinced that the proceedings and reports of this conference will throw further light on our mandate for the region. And I am sure that in facilitating an even and sustainable development for the region, we would have taken important steps in establishing for the Niger Delta, the region of our dreams, as well as for the entire country, a fitting model for development.
On that note, therefore, it is my great pleasure to formally launch the Niger Delta Development Commission and also declare open, the International Conference on the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta region.
I thank you. And may God bless you all.