Ibori Seeks Funds For Niger Delta's Growth
FROM SUNNY OGEFERE, ASABA
GOVERNOR James Ibori of Delta State yesterday advocated the "massive injection of funds" into the development of infrastructure in the Niger Delta by the Federal Government and its interventionist agencies, such as the NDDC, if the development of the region must be achieved.
The governor canvassed this position when the Niger Delta Development Commissioner (NDDC) presented a draft of its master plan for the development of the region to the state executive council.
The governor, who endorsed the draft master plan, cautioned that all the good intentions of the plan would be futile if the infrastructural problems of the region were not tackled massively with adequate funding.
"You cannot address the issue of progress and development of the region unless you adequately tackle the issue of infrastructure. There must be massive injection of funds into the provision of infrastructure. Until we do this, we may not realise the lofty ideas of developing the Niger Delta region," he stated.
Besides, Ibori decried the poor funding of the NDDC, noting that the N30 billion yearly allocations to the interventionist agency, was grossly inadequate to realise the objectives of setting it up.
According to him, the N30 billion was nothing compared to the emermous problems of the region, arguing that the amount would not be enough to solve the problem of roads in Bayelsa State alone.
He said: "I still believe that the NDDC is not properly and adequately funded. N30 billion is nothing compared to what has to be done in the Niger Delta region."
He said that the challenges before the commission were enormous and that it needed to initiate policies and programmes that the people would see and make them acknowledge that the Federal Government was now prepared to solve their problems.
The governor reacted to the recent moves to amend the NDDC Act, saying that if this was to increase the commission's funding, there was no problem.
But he stated that there was worry if there were moves to cut down the funding of the commission.
He pledged the support of Delta State in ensuring that the commission lay the foundation to address the problems of the Niger Delta.
Earlier, the Managing Director of NDDC, Chief Emmanuel Agumavwodo, said that the draft master plan covered a period of 15 years, 2005 to 2020. He added that the objective was to transform the region and keep it in harmony with its oil producing status.
"It is a collective force of our people... if it is endorsed, this region, as we see it today, will be changed in the next 15 years," he stated.
The draft master plan addressed a wide spectrum of problems confronting the region and how to tackle them through the contributions and involvement of all stakeholders, including the government, the oil companies and the oil-producing communities.
The priority areas include education, health, agriculture, energy, environment, peace, and justice.
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