Emma Amaize
15 September 2008
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has directed the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) to ensure that only projects demanded by the respective oil producing communities in the state are included in the 2009 budget of the oil commission, warning that any project not approved by the people will be turned down by him.
He confirmed issuing the directive, weekend, in Warri while speaking at a meeting of the Conference of Ethnic Nationalities of the Niger-Delta (CENN), hosted by the Itsekiri ethnic nationality.
The governor also said he would meet, this week, with the chairman and members of the commission to deliberate on some strategies to enhance the operations of the organization, which has helped in no small way to douse the protest and agitations against government by the oil communities.
"I am expecting that the Commission members will go round the constituencies and let the people decide what they want. I can sit in my office and say I want a road for Uzere community, meanwhile, the problem in that place is flood and I award a contract to Setraco to construct a road in Uzere. Setraco will start and by May/June, rain will start falling, our leader, Chief James Otobo who is from that place and other residents will park out of their houses, but , in actuality, what the people need really is adequate drainage to enable them stay in their house year in, year out.
"So for our DESOPADEC in the in-coming budget, thank God, I give the final approval for the budget, I am going to insist and I must have evidence that they have gone round, that the budget is coming from the people. And any ethnic group that is not satisfied, I will tell them, we will go back to talk to the people again", he said.
He said, "It is stressful to me as a governor to give 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation funds to another body to manage but I will take the stress, it reduces my ability to do some other things but the satisfaction I get is that the oil producing communities are at least having an impact from the funds that are coming from there and I can tell you that this is the major reason that we have some relative peace in Delta because our people are hopeful, even if they have not got now, they know that in the near future, they will get".
Dr. Uduaghan who urged the ethnic nationalities in the region to support the new Niger-Delta ministry created by Mr. President added, "So if the derivation coming to Delta state is increased, of course, the money going to the Commission will increase also. What I am saying is this, that the other things that Mr. President cannot handle due to constitutional reasons, we should push and actually lobby other parts of the country so that we can amend our constitution to bring about those changes".
He opined the Niger-Delta could only do this if they were firmly rooted in the region and then, approach other ethnic groups in other parts of the country.
His words, "You heard that the Warri-Port-Harcourt Road is being dualized, let me not mention what was put in the budget for it because it is embarrassing, very embarrassing. This is a project of over N150 billion and you are putting peanuts... Of course, we are saw that one of the contractors, Julius Berger moved away, we are the ones, as a state government that is ensuring that Setraco continues, if not, there is really nothing in the budget for that road this year".
"But with the Niger-Delta Ministry, I think we should push that most of the major projects in the Niger-Delta should be put under that ministry. I keep saying and thanking the Federal Government for putting up the Niger-Delta Development Commission, it is our entitlement, not a favour. Yes, you fund the NDDC but we should also be part of the other budgets of this country.
It is not only the funds that go to the NDDC alone that the people of the Niger-Delta should be entitled to, other funds that go to other projects in other parts of the country should also go to the projects in the Niger-Delta .
"Although the Ministry is there, there are other things that are required in the Niger-Delta. Why I thank Mr. President is that constitutionally, that is the much he can do, create a Ministry and see how he can empower the Ministry but the solution to the most other problems of the region can only be achieved through a constitutional amendment.
"We have a Land Use Act that takes away the land of the people and puts it in the hands of the government, we have a Petroleum Act that takes away everything on that land and puts it on the hand of the government", he stated.
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