Women Leaders of ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta region have demanded from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) an equal share of Women Capital Development from the the Dr Samuel Ogbuku-led new executive management committee of the commission.
This is as the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Ogbuku has announced plans by the commission to host a Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit to chart a new course of development for the region.
The women made the demand on Monday at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt during an interactive meeting of the women and the NDDC management committee.
Led by Ann Kio-Briggs, the women said that they were in desperate need of support for their businesses to enable them thrive in these harsh economic times facing Nigeria and the entire world.
“We urge you to see to it that women get an equal share of women capital development from the management of NDDC – starting with these present here today, whose membership are into one form of business or the other.
She explained that the demand was hinged on the fact that when it is Human Capital Development, the men usually hijack such programmes to the detriment of the women.
“Women desperately need support for their businesses to enable them thrive in these harsh economic times facing our country Nigeria and the entire world,” she urged.
She added that it is a well known fact all over the world, that when the women are empowered, the whole nation is empowered, just as, when women are educated, the whole nation is educated because husbands, children, family and the community benefit from women education and empowerment.
“In line with the visions of the NDDC to create an enabling environment for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region; and in tandem with the commission’s mission to facilitate sustainable and rapid development of the Niger Delta, into a region that is socially stable, politically peaceful, economically prosperous and ecologically regenerative, which is overdue, we are appealing to the NDDC to take the issue of support and empowerment of the Niger Delta women as a critical priority”.
The women called on President Bola Tinubu to make public the forensic audit on the NDDC conducted by the past administration, stressing that it was unacceptable for the report to still be unavailable to the public.
“We cannot ignore the fact that NDDC is owed a huge sum of money running into billions or even trillions , we mention this fact as the management of NDDC cannot function without the funds it is due.
“The women of the Niger Delta call on Mr. President to remember that for the major part of the last eight years, the management of the NDDC was without a substantive board and this was not in the interest of the Niger Delta people for whom this agency was created. We therefore urge Mr. President to constitute the board of the NDDC with the current management team as led by Dr. Samuel Ogbuku”.
Responding to the women, NDDC boss Dr. Ogbuku assured them that they were a critical stakeholder in development plan of the commission and would not be left out in the programmes and activities of the commission but rather would always be consulted.
He said; “We have met with the youths before and now, we are planning to meet with the women and also planning towards having a Niger Delta stakeholders summit.
“The Niger Delta stakeholders summit will be coming up any time from now. Apart from the issues we have to discuss pertaining the NDDC, the people of Niger Delta will come together under one roof and also have an agenda in the face of this new administration. Because we believe, not until we give both our political leaders, traditional leaders, women leaders, youth leaders and other leaders in the Niger Delta that platform and an opportunity to have a discussion, on what our future should be, we might not also have a proper direction of what our people want us to do.
“So, because we also want to have that direction, we are planning for the summit, so that it will afford the opportunity to pick your brains. Let us know what you have in mind because whatever we want to do here in the Niger Delta, it needs to be tailor-made. We cannot plan for you without knowing what you want”.
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