Budgetary provisions to NDDC, 13 percent derivation, not reflecting in Itsekiri communities – Odeli

University of Benin trained Strategist and Community Development Advocate, David Odeli, has hit the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC afresh, saying budgetary provisions to the NDDC and the 13 percent derivation supposedly meant for DESOPADEC over the years, do not reflect in Itsekiri oil and gas bearing coastal communities.

Odeli, who is also the Chairman of Tisun Community Management Council in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, in a statement Friday December 12, averred that the NDDC has deviated from its constitutional responsibilities to providing political services to individuals in the Niger Delta.

Whilst stating that NDDC offers, “low grade services to areas that have no constitutional links to the Commission, neglecting people of the oil and gas bearing communities”, Odeli, declared: “The budgetary provisions to NDDC is not reflecting in the Itsekiri oil and gas bearing coastal communities and the urban communities, from Ugborodo shore protection, Orere shore protection and reclamation down, to Ogheye shore protection as well as reclamation to Ugbege line, down to Ototo boundary with Awoye in Ondo state.

“The Tisun/ Kolokolo six kilometres road and reclamation projects, including Saghara Community and reclamation of Ureju Community as well as sand-filing of Eghoro community, Ebrohimi/Obaghoro links road and Electrification projects, are some of the critical projects in Itsekiri coastal communities in Delta State, abandoned by the NDDC over the years.”

He added: “The NDDC and 13 percent derivation commission (DESOPADEC) were setup to provide the infrastructural and human capital developmental needs of oil and gas bearing communities, but the reverse is the case as at today, because both agencies have failed in their responsibilities.

“DESOPADEC has a giant office complex in Warri and it is one of the most populated government agencies in Nigeria, yet nothing to show for the huge resources allocated to it, in terms of development of the oil-rich communities. What we see, is high level misappropriation of fund and lack of good management by the Commission. Our communities, have no portable water, no electricity, lack internal and access roads, deprived of good health care system and social security for our people. This is despite the huge resources drawn from the oil and gas bearing communities.

“If these social amenities are not urgently put in place in our communities, I insist that we will not guarantee the flow of oil and gas in the swamp this year, because we are not fools. The resources are God-given and the environment must be uplifted from bad to good, for our future generations.”

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