Bayelsa State Governor, Stop diverting NDDC funds for elections

Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, has accused the leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), of channelling funds for the development of the region to sponsor elections of ruling political parties in the country.

Dickson noted that it called for concern among leaders of the zone.

Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, his Special Adviser on Media Relations, through a statement sent to FAZENOTETV, quoted the governor,
as saying that the diversion of monies meant for projects had hampered the Commission’s capacity to actualize its mandate of bringing development to oil producing communities.

The statement further said Dickson made the comment while receiving the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, and his team from the commission at the Government House, Yenagoa, on Friday.

His words, “The NDDC is not a body that should be left on its own in doing all kinds of things at its whims and caprices as it pleases. It is a very serious body. It is a mechanism already designed in the legislation for the involvement of other stakeholders and the most important stakeholders are the governors of the oil producing states.

“We want to see the NDDC fulfilling its maximum potentials and it has not been able to do this as a result of the deliberate politicization of the NDDC.

“The Commission contrary to its founding principles, has become some political fund at the whims and caprices of those who control the federal government.

“The NDDC funds are channeled for elections, into all kinds of activities other the main reason for which it was set up. That is very unfortunate and that has limited the capacity of the body to impact maximally the challenges of the region which i find very appalling.

“But it is something that all stakeholders need to sit down to seriously address, so even as we join hands to ask that all funds owed the NDDC be paid, we should equally join hands to demand for accountability, demand that projects that are conceived are not ones designed for power brokers but projects that really have the capacity to impact on the communities in need of development and so i call for a new approach.”

In his remarks, the acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, expressed the Commission’s desire to build synergy with the state government to ensure human and infrastructural development.

The NDDC Acting Boss had earlier called on the Federal Government to commence payment of the N1.9 trillion being owed the commission by the Federal Government which he said would go a long way in the bid to development the Niger Delta.