THE NATION

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has said despite the inauguration of the advisory council of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the commission is still sidelining oil-producing Governors from its affairs.

He said the NDDC was acting like a state on its own, refusing to interface with Governors to strategically develop the Niger Delta region.

Wike, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, spoke when members of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC led by its Chairman, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.

The Governor explained the Governors were not in the real critical stakeholders in the affairs of the NDDC as assumed in some quarters.

He said since the inauguration of the NDDC advisory council last year, the Federal Government had ensured that the governors were sidelined in the affairs of the commission.

He said: “Even when we are inaugurated, we were not involved in anything that happens in NDDC, Which is most unfortunate.

“NDDC is like a state on its own without working with the State government and why is it so. It is so because the states of NDDC are controlled by the opposition party therefore there is no need to consult with them.”

The Governor explained that to ensure NDDC did not embark on indiscriminate execution of projects, the Rivers State Government recently obtained a court order that prohibited the commission from carrying out projects without its consent.

Wike urged the National Assembly to be resolute in its oversight function by ensuring the NDDC stopped frittering the resources meant for the development of the Niger Delta region on building roads in Army barracks, police stations and spending billions of Naira to ensure he did not win reelection.

The Governor said that NDDC and the Rivers State had once agreed to collaborate on a legacy project but the commission ended up defrauding the state government

He said: “NDDC fraudulently duped us over the Mother and Child hospital. They duped us. They had an agreement with the State government to build a regional hospital called Mother and Child hospital. They agreed that it will be N1.7 Billion Naira.

“State government to bring N800million, they will bring N900 million. State government at that time paid their N800million.

“NDDC mobilised the contractor with N400 million of the N800 million we brought and then abandoned the contractor and the contractor left site.

“And when we came on board, we said okay, we don’t want to partner with you again, give us back our N400 million. It became a problem. Politics came in”.