Blame your leaders for the menace -By Muhammed Saheed

One will be amazed at the level of development that has greeted the Niger Delta in spite of enormous national resources that had been injected into the section year in year out. It becomes imperative for a right-thinking individual or determined government to thoroughly peruse the factor(s) undermining the development of the Niger Delta. Getting to know the root of the problems which will pave way for considerable solutions to the menace of mismanagement of funds.

Sadly, this problem of transparency and accountability is not limited to the NDDC as an institution alone. It cuts across all the institutions. A couple of days back, the acting chairman of EFFC, Ibrahim Magu was quizzed by the presidential panel for more than eight days on allegations of gross misconduct of funds and subordination. And the scenario led to his suspension. The same game played last year at NHIS. It was the allegation of mismanagement of public funds that led to the suspension of Usman Yusuf, the then chairman of the scheme.

To reshape these wrongs that have consumed badly the institutions, the government must work with other concerned authorities to speedily diagnose what had gone wrong and what needs to be done to make correction in order to drive back the institutions their original mandates and discharge their duties diligently in making life better for Nigerians.

The unfolding dramas that revolve around unearthing corruption, treasury looting, and recklessness mismanagement of fraud within the NDDC have risen eyebrows. Who could have believed that the Interim Management Committee would engage in such unbridled looting of funds meant for the development of the area under the Buhari administration? Within a short period of time, the atrocities committed are worrisome and calls for swift attention from the government.

It irks one to the marrow to be seeing Niger Delta that’s expected to be the USA like, basking in abject poverty and retarding in terms of development at all ramifications. Some part lament over ecliptic power outrage. But the level of devolvement is nothing to write home about. And the quality of some Infrastructural projects executed had been said to have fallen below acceptable standards.

All in all, the recent happenings have shown that the problems of Niger Delta are the leaders of the regime. According to a report “Members of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) in charge of me now could not account for N183 billion when they appeared before the Senate ad-hoc committee. They admitted awarding themselves N1.5 billion for Coronavirus relief. They are also unable to respond to claims of misappropriating N40 billion.”

To this end, the people of the state need to hold their leaders accountable for virtually all the vices and naught development greeting the part of the country. It’s clear beyond argument that billions of naira are being pumped therein, but never seen a breed of leaders that make reasonable utilization of it.

On the part of the government, the corruption-ridden Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC should be checkmated critically to stamp out w the problem lies. Former acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Joi Nunieh, must be questioned to vomit out all she knows about how the money is mismanaged. Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, who walked out on the House of Representatives committee investigating the corruption in the NDDC, and recently collapsed before the committee should be made to pour out his involvement in the scandal. Goodwin Akpabio inclusive.

All the walking out and fainting dramas should not be a prelude to hinder the investigation and prosecution of all those indicted in the wholesale fraud in the NDDC which has hindered the commission from delivering its mandate to the people of the Niger Delta region under the current administration.

Muhammed Saheed is a political scientist.
He writes from Kwara State, Ilorin.
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