A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Network Advancement Programme for Poverty and Disaster Risk Reduction (NAPPDRR), has asked the federal government to settle all outstanding debts owed to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) through recovered funds.
The group said the funding challenge faced by the commission which amounted to N1.8trn withheld funds could be tackled if the federal government deployed some of its recovered funds to it.
President of the group, Alhaji Al-Mustapher Emem Edoho, at a media parley on Tuesday said “funding problem has forced the commission to abandon several projects in Niger Delta.”
Edoho explained that the call for such illicit cash to be injected into development of the region was borne out of the fact that “bulk of the recovered funds is proceed of crude oil extracted from the Niger Delta region.”
He commended the board of the commission led by the Managing Director, Obong Nsima Ekere “for sustaining the tempo of development, even with limited funds.”
“We want to commend the federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, for strong commitment towards dousing the prevailing tension in the region and the country at large,” he said.
Edoho expressed the hope that “with more funds for the commission, the agency will be able to intervene more in other vital areas of job and vocational training, scholarship, electricity, roads and healthcare services.”
He noted that the commission has made its presence felt across the nine Niger Delta states and warned restive youths against attacking construction workers and vandalising NDDC projects.
“The restive youths should stop oil pipeline vandalism, and take government properties as their own because the federal government has shown strong commitment to douse the prevailing tensions through accelerated development,” he said.
