Convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark has advised President Bola Tinubu to initiate a constitutional amendment to exclude non-Niger Delta States including Imo, Ondo, and Abia from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
He also advocated that since more states in the hinterland are being found to be oil-bearing, the government could design a separate platform for them.
Addressing a press conference in his Abuja residence on Tuesday, the foremost south-south leaders pointed out that it was an aberration in the first place to have states that are not geographically in the Niger Delta in the commission.
Recalling the process leading to the enactment of the NDDC Act, Clark said former President Olusegun influenced it because he thought that was the only way to get enough votes in the National Assembly to pass the bill as he also recalled that opposition, particularly from northern lawmakers, had threatened to thwart it.
“The NDDC Establishment Act 2000 signed by the Senate President Chuba Okadigbo outlined the functions of the nine states and who should be the Executive Management. One should bear in mind that the addition of Ondo, Imo and Abia was a political aberration,” he stated.
While noting that Cross River is no longer an oil-producing state following the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon, he wondered whether states where crude oil is now being discovered such as Lagos, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Kogi and Sokoto would now be part of the commission even though they are not in the Niger Delta.
The former federal commissioner for information faulted the push by some minority oil-producing states to replace the present chairman.
He noted that even though Part I Section 4 of the NDDC Act prescribes the rotation of the office of the chairman among member states, the law also provides that in appointing the managing director and executive directors, they must come from states “with the highest production quantum of oil and shall rotate amongst member states in the order of production.”
Clark explained: “It is true that the law provided for the rotation of the Executive positions among the states based on the quantity of production but did not mention the sequence of rotation among the states.
“But the federal government decided that these Executive positions only rotate among the four majorities of oil-producing states i.e. Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers States based on equity,fair play and justice because it will be unreasonable and chaotic to extend it to the minority oil producing states including Abia, Cross-River, Edo, Imo and Ondo.
“For instance, whereby, Imo is producing 1.02% of the total oil production by the nine states.”
Clark pointed out the problems that beset the commission in recent times including and accused some Niger Delta politicians of appropriating the positions of directors and executive directors with impunity, a situation, he observed has now been corrected by President Tinubu.
He added: “The President Tinubu’s government at last decided to correct the position and a new board has now been set up in accordance with the NDDC Act. I repeat, by convention and understanding, the federal government has conveniently restricted the management position to the four major oil producing States i.e. Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers.
“The crisis has not died down because these three non-Niger Delta States of Abia, Imo and Ondo are insisting that they must occupy the post of managing director and the two executive director for finance and executive director for project.”
He posited that Imo cannot demand for the removal of those of the chairman or others appointed into the NDDC because it produces just over 1% of crude oil among member states.
Clark stated: “At this Juncture, it may be necessary to liken this quantity of Oil produced to a Ltd. Liability Company which also has majority shareholders and minority shareholders. It is not possible for a minority shareholder of even 5% to be the Chairman or Managing Director of the Ltd Liability Company.
“It will be unfair and inequitable for a State that produces 1.02% to produce Managing Director of the NDDC. I know Nigeria as we are, the tendency will be to develop his own minority oil producing state to develop their area at the expense of the majority of oil producing states which incidentally happen to sum up to over 90% of the Oil.
“It is therefore unreasonable, provocative and selfish for Imo which produces only 1.02% quantum of Oil to demand removal of the Chief Executives of NDDC Board that has been confirmed by the Senate.
“NDDC should remain the six original Niger Delta Coastal States. All other Oil producing States should establish a relationship with the oil companies and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly now that Oil has been found in other parts of Nigeria including Anambra which is already producing 0.9%, Bauchi, Gombe, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Lagos. They cannot therefore be part of NDDC.”
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