Dayo Johnson
24 December 2008
A Member of the Niger Delta Technical Committee and Secretary to the Ondo State Government, Mr. Isaacs Kekemeke, yesterday slammed the Federal Government for its non-committal towards solving the degradation and backwardness in the Niger Delta region.
Receiving the 2008 Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award conferred on him by the All Africa Student Union (AASU), in Akure, Kekemeke regretted the backwardness in the communities despite their contributions to the nation's resources.
He said: "The reduction in funds allocated to the development of the oil-rich region which accounted for about 90 per cent of the fund generated by the country had shown that the current administration was not ready to tackle the problems of the region.
"The fund allocated to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Niger Delta Development Commission in the 2009 Appropriation Bill was far less than the amount allocated to develop the region in this year's budget.
"The Federal Government reduced the allocation meant to develop the Niger Delta region despite the creation of a ministry for the region. Niger Delta which accounts for about 90 per cent of the total fund accrued to the nation should get nothing less than three per cent of the total budget.
"If Abuja can get one per cent of the budget, the Niger Delta region should get nothing less than three per cent of the budget because of the difficult terrain and the serious problems confronting the people of the area," he argued.
Kekemeke, however, supported the removal of immunity clause as proposed by President Umar Yar'Adua just as he advised the National Assembly members "to look less for how to enrich themselves while serving the nation.
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