Port Harcourt — Trouble appears to be brewing again in the Niger Delta following an alleged directive by the governors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) states for all the contracts given out to ex-militants, peace groups and other contractors which are at the core of the squabbles among the Commission's board members be revoked.

Although it is said to be a recommendation of the governors to President Goodluck Jonathan, who directed them to meet with the NDDC management last Friday, the militants fear that contracts given to them and those already in progress might be affected by the directive and worsen their financial situation.

Telephone calls by THISDAY to the Managing Director of NDDC, Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha, followed by a text message to confirm or deny the move to cancel the contracts were not responded to. His mobile phone rang while the text message as at press time was not responded to.

At a joint news briefing yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Watchdog for Niger Delta and the Niger Delta Peace Movement, which said they had the consent of former militants to address the issue warned that "there will be war" if the directive to cancel the contracts was heeded.

Contracts were said to be part of the unwritten agreements with the ex-militants to keep them financially afloat while government works out their reintegration into normal society.

Lampooning the governors, Comrade Sam Ebiye, Secretary of the Watchdog and John Walter, President of the Peace Movement said taking into consideration the development projects initiated by them in their states, only Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Godswill Akpabio had the right to talk about development in the region.

They argued that contrary to the belief that the development of the region was the prerogative of NDDC, the governors also have duties to develop their own states which, they said, some have failed to do, adding: "With the exception of Governors Amaechi and Akpabio, other governors are not fit to discuss on the issue".

To them, the recommendation of the governors was dangerous as some of the contracts they are advocating their cancellation passed through the Management Tenders Board and therefore followed due process.

In addition, they alleged that while some have already collected their letters of award and mobilised to site, others collected Advanced Payment Guaranty from banks while others sold theirs which will cause a lot of problems if stopped.

"To this extent, we are warning against the cancellation of these contracts awarded by the NDDC. If such a thing happens, the consequences would be very grave and will further lead to a deterioration of the security dilemma in the Niger Delta.

"The panel instituted to investigate NDDC should understand that they are sitting on a time bomb that will cause anarchy if the advice to cancel the contracts awarded by the NDDC is implemented. They should remember that the contracts were awarded to Niger Delta indigenes and the places where these jobs are to be executed are in the Niger Delta and the contracts are legally binding on the NDDC, so there is no justification for the cancellation except to court anarchy," they warned.

They rather advocated the removal from the management team of the Commission, any person who has demonstrated incompetence and inability to contribute to the development of the region before they will do so themselves, adding that they were encouraged to fight as their salaries and allowances were still being paid to them.