Niger Delta group presses candidates on regional development
The Niger Delta Development Monitoring Group (NIDDEMOG) has urged presidential candidates to set out clear plans for tackling the region’s infrastructure and environmental challenges.
It identified the abandoned East-West Road project, non-functional refineries and seaports, coastal erosion and environmental degradation as urgent priorities.
Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, NIDDEMOG’s team lead, made the call in a statement issued on Sunday, ahead of the start of political campaigns.
*NIDDEMOG
Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
The Niger Delta Development Monitoring Group (NIDDEMOG) has urged presidential candidates to set out clear plans for tackling the region’s infrastructure and environmental challenges.
It identified the abandoned East-West Road project, non-functional refineries and seaports, coastal erosion and environmental degradation as urgent priorities.
Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, NIDDEMOG’s team lead, made the call in a statement issued on Sunday, ahead of the start of political campaigns.
He urged candidates to move beyond political controversies and personal attacks and present concrete proposals for regional development, economic prosperity and empowerment.
James-Eriworio also cautioned South-South governors against endorsing candidates without first securing firm commitments to address the region’s long-standing problems. He said endorsements should lead to measurable federal action on roads, seaports, refineries, coastal protection and environmental remediation.
He expressed concern that presidential candidates were giving insufficient attention to the Niger Delta’s development priorities. He cited the controversy surrounding the proposed coastal road as evidence of what he described as inadequate engagement with the region’s specific needs.
“How can a former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, who is a presidential candidate of a party, be speaking without a clear knowledge of issues concerning the region?” he asked.
James-Eriworio said the Niger Delta’s problems went beyond oil-pipeline surveillance contracts and the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“Our problem as a region is more than that. Most of our communities are being washed away by the ocean due to poor shore protection plans.
“We have lost many lives due to 26 years of abandoned East-West Road project, and we no longer have functioning refineries and seaports,” he said.
He criticised candidates for focusing on personal attacks and derogatory language instead of addressing climate change, pollution and the needs of oil-producing communities. He urged them to set out plans to reduce gas flaring, complete the East-West Road and deliver comprehensive coastal protection programmes.
The group also called for the restoration and remediation of oil-producing communities affected by repeated oil spills. It proposed renaming the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) as an environmental clean-up agency.
James-Eriworio said he had written to individual presidential candidates, urging them to prioritise the region’s development as campaigns began. He maintained that the proposed coastal road addressed a long-standing infrastructure need and should not be dismissed on political grounds.
The Niger Delta deserved greater federal investment in roads, bridges, refineries and seaports, he said, given its contribution to the country’s oil revenue. He also advocated raising the 13 per cent derivation fund to 20 per cent and requiring international oil companies operating in the region to relocate their headquarters and functional offices there.
An integrated network of roads and bridges could connect coastal communities, improve access to markets and public services, and open up previously inaccessible areas, he said.
He cited proposed road links around Agge and Brass in Bayelsa, and road and bridge connections in the Bonny and Opobo axis of Rivers State, as examples of what could be built in difficult coastal terrain.
He urged the Federal Government to improve deteriorating existing roads, particularly the East-West Road, while also building new infrastructure.
“We are not against any presidential candidate. All we are saying is that the region demands a commitment from each candidate to the Niger Delta.
“I am one of those who advocated for the coastal road even before the Federal Government proposed the project. The East-West Road and other failing roads in the region must also receive the attention they deserve,” he said.
James-Eriworio again urged South-South governors to seek clear commitments from candidates on the East-West Road and other regional priorities. Silence and unquestioning party loyalty, he warned, would not serve the interests of the region or its people.
