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“We are seeing a behaviour and approach that is incomprehensible and regrettably demonstrates punitiveness. That whilst the Ministry has attempted to do something in some Niger Delta communities, that of Ogoni has been misery. The East-West road that is the only land link between Ogoni and other Rivers State communities and beyond especially the state capital, Port Harcourt, has collapsed and thus cut us from the outside world yet sustained reports to the agency concerning reconstruction or repairs have been ignored and the new town development, which had been budgeted for long time ago and reported with fanfare had disappeared mysteriously from the Ministry’s agenda,” said the MOSOP President, Mr. Legborsi Saro Pyagbara during a presentation in Paris, France today”, MOSOP said.
The MOSOP statement signed by its President, Legborsi Pyagbara said in Part: “Five years after its creation, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has no visible presence in Ogoni and cannot lay claim to any single project in the area. It is time to question its continued existence and relevance. The Eleme axis of the road in particular, is indescribably impassible driving cost of transporting goods and services beyond the reach of ordinary people as a simple journey between Ogoni and Port Harcourt that normally takes about 45 minutes now takes nearly a whole day”.
“MOSOP believes that the disastrous intervention of the Ministry so far breaches all known basic standards of corporate best practice. The lack of visible and plausible response to the deplorable state of the east-west road has attracted criticisms from far and near including state and company officials, workers and other users. In the face of this reality, the ministry still lay claim to integrity. If there would be any meaning to the Ministry’s claim, then we must see immediate steps taken to end the conditions that have complicated the plight of the people”.
We are equally concerned that the NDDC had acted similarly and after many years of its formation, there is nothing by the commission in Ogoni to write home about especially relating to her transformation mandate. The only difference here is that while the NDDC insensitively said albeit unofficially that Ogoni benefiting from the commission would be dependent on her allowing Shell’s re-entry into Ogoni to re-commence oil production, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has given no reason.”
The Ogoni movement further said, “It is a shame that rather than Federal government’s social development efforts being evenly spread across Niger Delta communities by the overseeing agency, it seems that even the little ones it does is based on ethnic influence, unnecessary politics and sentiments. If not, how would one explain the ministry’s lopsided recruitment of youths for its skill acquisition programme, employable university graduates, housing projects and others to favour a particular ethnic nationality that has arrogated to itself the sole ownership of the Niger Delta region? It is our view that the genuine reason for which the Ministry was created would be defeated if necessary reforms are not carried out to generate accommodation of all interests”.
Mr Pyagbara observed that with the Ministry’s approach so far, there are growing concern relating to the point that it may have existed only to dispense patronage to some favoured communities and political allies. We therefore urge Abuja not to close its eyes at the questionable activities of the Ministry as inaction would be seen as tacit approval and an avoidable indictment.
The MOSOP statement said let it be known that we all have an inalienable right to development. “We would thus warn that since this right is protected by the Nigerian constitution and other international instruments, we would explore all civilize means to ensure that this right is no longer denied us should nothing urgent is done” MOSOP insists.###