News

Oil Communities Call For Forensic Audit Of Niger Delta Ministry …Want Increased Funding For NDDC

Published

12 months ago

September 29, 2023

Oil bearing communities of the Niger Delta region have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to institute a forensic team to audit the activities of the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry since its inception some 12 years ago.
In a resolution reached at the end of a stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday, the mineral producing communities reiterated that it would be to the best interest of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the Ministry to either be scrapped or relocated to the Niger Delta region for maximum productivity.
“The President should institute and empanel a forensic audit of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in order for him to have firsthand the issues that have militated against the optimal performance of the Ministry since its creation 12 years ago”, the communities said.
Speaking further on this development, Convener of South-South Reawakening Group and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Community Development Committees of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas, Joseph Ambakederimo, said the Ministry has not been useful and has not met the aspirations of the people of the oil producing areas since it was established.
“We need the Honourable Minister to bring forth verifiable list of projects undertaken by his Ministry for the past twelve years that the Ministry has existed either ongoing, completed or abandoned. We must verify these projects to corroborate our position that we have held before now. l will challenge the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Development to a debate on National Television so that we can better appreciate the position we have held that the Ministry does not need to exist a day longer than necessary”.
Ambakederimo said that the Ministry was created to assuage the agitation of a people who were not actually sure of what the region really wanted.
“If you ask me what we have gained in the region with all the duplication of agencies with overlapping functions, my response and that of many of our people would be nothing whatsoever.
“We have also identified that the Ministry is a distraction on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The NDDC’s decline started about three years after the Ministry was created and it became worse when the then Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, now the President of the Senate took charge. The obsession that was brought to bear on the NDDC was suspect and of course our fears were confirmed”, he said.
The CDC chairman said that the recommendations of the Steve Oronsaye Committee that listed the Ministry of Niger Delta Development amongst others to be scrapped was the most ideal recommendations given by that committee.
“We support the position of the Steve Oronsaye Committee and we hereby call on the President to do the needful as soon as practicable. Those calling for the retention of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development are beneficiaries of the diversion of the resources to line their pockets. If the Ministry must stay, then it is there to line the pockets of a few”.
He added that the budgetary provision for the Ministry should be channeled to the NDDC so that it can perform maximally.
“The NDDC has to its credit roads and bridges that have cut through virgin forests, electrification of far flung communities in the creeks, thousands of hectares of land that have been reclaimed, thousands of square kilometers of shore protection, access roads to farming settlements for ease of evacuation of farm produce to urban markets, verifiable wealth creation strategies and empowerment schemes targeted at youths of the oil producing areas and many others too numerous to mention”, he said.

News

Nigeria’s Rail Transport Generated N1.69bn In Q2 -NBS report

Published

4 days ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian rail system generated N1.69billionn in revenue from passengers in the second quarter of 2024, reflecting a 53.14 per cent increase compared to the N1.10billion recorded in the same period of 2023.
This data was disclosed by the National Bureau of Statistics in its report released yesterday.
According to the report, a total of 689,263 passengers travelled by rail in Q2, representing a growth rate of 45.38 per cent compared to 474,117 passengers in the corresponding quarter of 2023.
The volume of goods transported via rail also saw a significant increase, with 143,759 tons moved in Q2 2024, up from 56,936 tons in Q2 2023. Additionally, the Nigerian Railway Corporation reported a volume of 5,940 tons of goods transported through pipelines in Q2 2024, an increase from the 2,856 tons recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Revenue from goods conveyed via rail stood at N537.36m in Q2 2024, a remarkable increase of 206.68 per cent compared to N175.22m in Q2 2023. The movement of goods through pipelines also contributed to revenue generation, with N42.08m collected in Q2 2024, compared to N12.81million in Q2 2023.
Other revenue receipts amounted to N994.68million in Q2 2024, representing a staggering increase of 5,206.68 per cent from the N18.74m recorded in the corresponding period of last year.
In the first quarter, of 2024, The Tide source reported that Nigeria spent more on servicing the debt incurred for building its railways than the revenue generated by its railway system. The country spent 2,470 per cent more on railway debt servicing than it made from revenue from rail services in the first quarter of 2024.

News

NDDC Unveils Initiative To Enhance Food Security In N’Delta

Published

4 days ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) says it is committed to advancing projects and programmes that enhance food security and sustainable growth in the region.
Chief Monday Igbuya, the Delta State representative on the NDDC Board, made this pledge in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, yesterday by the NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama.
Igbuya spoke at the inauguration of a training and empowerment programme for women and youths in livestock and agro processing in Amukpe, Sapele area of Delta.
He stated that the NDDC was prioritising livestock training in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“NDDC is focussed on implementing programmes to ensure food security and agricultural growth in multi sectors, aiming to improve living standards.
“It is our belief that for socio-economic development to take place, there is need to develop manpower in the agricultural sector,” he said.
Igbuya expressed confidence that training farmers would enhance livestock production, create jobs, and alleviate poverty in the Niger Delta.
Mrs Winifred Madume, NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, said that training farmers and entrepreneurs was essential for improving productivity and market access.
“The commission has been promoting research and development through various institutions and providing farming techniques to beneficiaries,” she said.
The Project Consultant, Dr Simon Akhaine, said that 200 women and youths had registered for the livestock and agro-business skill acquisition programme.
According to him, the programme aims to equip them with the essential knowledge and skills for self-sufficiency in livestock farming, thereby boosting regional food security.

News

Tinubu Shelves UNGA79 Trip To Address National Challenges

Published

4 days ago

September 20, 2024

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this year.
In his stead, Vice President Kashim Shettima will lead Nigeria’s delegation to the annual summit.
Tinubu “wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding,” a statement from the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, revealed yesterday.
The statement is titled ‘Vice President Shettima to Lead Nigeria’s Delegation to the 79th United Nations General Assembly.’
It reads, “President Bola Tinubu will not attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this year.
“Therefore, the President has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation.”
Tinubu, who returned to the country last Sunday after his trips to China and the United Kingdom, “wants to focus on domestic issues and address some of the country’s challenges, especially after the recent devastating flooding,” said Onanuga.
At UNGA 79, Vice President Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement to the General Assembly, attend important sideline events, and hold bilateral meetings.
The high-level General Debate, with the theme “Leaving No One Behind: Acting Together for the Advancement of Peace, Sustainable Development, and Human Dignity for Present and Future Generations,” will run from Tuesday, September 24, through Saturday, September 28, 2024.