Nigeria: Jonathan's Niger Delta Action Plan

EDITORIAL

A major plank of federal government's strategy for tackling the militancy in the Niger delta region was the creation of institutions and agencies through which the agenda of sustainable economic growth, environmental renewal and prosperity would be pursued.

These institutions include the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) established in 1992; due to its apparent ineffectiveness it was replaced by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2000, and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, which as the name suggests, is charged solely with development issues of the region. In pursuit of the objective of formulating and implementing programmes for the development of the area, the NDDC and the ministry of Niger Delta receive funding through several sources including budgetary allocations, oil and gas companies, the ecological fund and, in the case of the NDDC, proceeds from its assets.

These agencies do not lack for funds for their mandates. The same cannot however be said for the agencies' ability and preparedness to execute the objectives for which they have been charged, which may have prompted the new initiative of the federal government to roll out another "action plan for the region". At a ceremony inaugurating the National Council on Niger Delta that took place in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State last month, President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by the vice president, Mohammed Namadi Sambo, revealed that the Niger Delta Action Plan (NDAP) was aimed at consolidating the peace and stability that he said was brought about by the amnesty programme. He noted that the objective of the NDAP was to complement the specific commitments of the amnesty programme. A "multi-stakeholders trust fund to create development partners and stakeholders to assist the ministry of Niger Delta to coordinate development resources more effectively", he said.

The amnesty programme has had a beneficial and positive impact on socio-economic activities in the Niger delta region. As young men who had hitherto constituted themselves into a nuisance to society, vandalising oil pipelines, kidnapping oil workers and generally disturbing the peace, have largely made themselves amenable to acquiring skills, trade and profession, so also has the Niger Delta region taken advantage of the lull in the nefarious activities to make business and economic activities to thrive accordingly. An example of this is the increase in the volume of oil being produced per day, which rose from 700000 barrels that obtained at the height of the militancy to 2.5 billion barrels. This illustrates the fact that policies aimed at ameliorating general economic and social deprivations will have redounding effects on the society as a whole.

Yet a note of caution is necessary before government embarks on the implementation of its newly unveiled policy. Details are yet to be spelt out because very little outside its conception has been revealed so far; even so, with two major administrative bodies- namely NDDC and ministry of Niger Delta in place charged with formulating and implementing programmes and policies for the Niger Delta region, it is a wonder that government could be contemplating creating additional organs. It is even more perplexing when it is considered that already, the various state governments in the region have a complement of structures through which development projects are undertaken, which leads to the conclusion that soon the objective of developing the Niger Delta could be threatened by duplication of organisations and agencies, squabbling and undermining one another to the detriment of growth of the region.

As part of the NDAP, government seeks to set up a "multi-stakeholders' trust fund". How this trust fund is to be raised would have to be explained, otherwise if the funding is going to come solely from the federal government, then it shows that the NDAP is all a ploy to further allocate funds to the region, which is already getting funds far in excess proportionately to states in other parts of the country. Yet excess funds would further increase embezzlement, graft and misapplication of funds that have continued to militate against real and concrete social and infrastructure development of the region.

Rather than duplicating structures through the creation of parallel organs, the government should concentrate on making proper and efficient use of existing structures in the development of the region and curtail the corruption associated with them.