The Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom, Delta State, His Royal Majesty, King Obukohwo Whiskey Udurhie I, before his corronation as the traditional ruler of his town was a journalist. He was also the media anchor for Host theCommunities of Nigeria. In a recent dialogue with journalists, including Adibe Emenyonu, on various issues confronting the Niger Delta region and oil producing states, King Udurhie 1 described the ongoing forensic audit by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs as a fraud
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC):
There is no place around the world where you do not have the third force, even in the media, it is there. Way back in 2005, what we had was HOSCON (Host Communities of Nigeria). The HOSCON is like a youth arm of the Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON). The founder of TROMPCON, Chief Wellington Okrika, is also the founder of HOSCON. As humans, we like turning things the way they will be of benefit to us. Chief Okrika was appointed as the first executive chairman of Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) in 2007 and by the time he finished his tenure in 2010, the person he handed over to wanted to make the advocacy group his baby and changed the name from HOSCON to HOSCOM, but HOSCOM (Host Communities Producing Oil and Gas in Nigeria) is not an offshoot of any group. The HOSCON is an advocacy group for 16 states. We have interest up to Kaduna, Bauchi, Kogi, Abia, Imo, Enugu, and anywhere you have oil in pipelines passing through it, those are the states we refer to as imparted states, while those that produced oil is called oil-producing states. The difference you see is being sponsored by some persons in government to disorganise the Niger Delta people with their struggle because they know that a united Niger Delta is a threat to the forces of government. The man who fought in the National Assembly is a health worker in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He calls himself the National Chairman of HOSCOM. I know as a matter of fact that HOSCON is a legitimate group, but of course, anything called illegal makes more noise than legal.
As a former National Director of Media and Publicity of HOSCON, I have had the opportunity of meeting one-on-one with the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on one or two occasions. I also had the privilege of meeting with the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, and the crux of these meetings has to do with the security and development of the Niger Delta, especially as it has to do with oil production. Of late, the issues that top discussion in the region is the lack of development and in most cases, outright disregard to laws that govern institutions in the region.
A case in point is that of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). In the year 2000 when that agency was to be established, I was the first media consultant to the Senate Committee on Niger Delta under the late distinguished Senator Fred Brume. By that position, I cannot be an outsider about the establishment of the commission. It was my group that went round the nine states and booked an appointment with the governors of the states. We met with the late D.S.P Alamesigha of Bayelsa State; Peter Odili (Rivers); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia); Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom); Donald Duke (Cross River); James Ibori (Delta); Lucky Igbinedion (Edo); Achike Udenwa (Imo); and Adekunle Adefarati (Ondo). As someone who had been at the forefront of the struggle, I am not comfortable with what is currently happening in the commission. The NDDC is our general concern and we will not sit down and allow one individual in the name of Minister of Niger Delta Affair to hijack the commission to the extent that for two years the commission does not have a Board. What they have is a self-imposed interim management committee and lately, it has gone worse that they now call it a sole administrator.
To start with, the NDDC Act 2000 does not recognise an Interim Management Committee, not to talk of Sole Administrator. Of course, we are all witnesses to the fact that under the interim management committee, N87 billion allegedly grew wings and flew out of the coffers of NDDC. A budget of about N500bn has been passed for the NDDC for an individual to superintend and we are saying ‘No’ to Sole Administrator in NDDC. The Idjerhe clan in Delta State is a major oil-producing community and for two years, NDDC has not done anything here because there is no structure. What this translates to is that for two years, the development agenda of this kingdom and several others have been held hostage by an individual who is the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs. As a patriot of this region I will not sit down, no matter the threat or inability of the government to wake up to its social responsibilities, they should know that they have a social contract with the people to ensure that the right thing is done.
From the happenings we are beginning to think that the Federal Government is collaborating with the Minister to undo the Niger Delta people and one of these days they will wake up to scrap the commission. We will not take that, but will continue to speak. We are saying categorical “No To Sole Administratorship”. A group of Nigerians were nominated, screened, and confirmed by the National Assembly and it behooves on the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to rise to the occasion by pushing for the inauguration of the committee that they have screened and confirmed. His Excellency, Pius Odubu, who has already been screened as chairman of that body is not an alien to the struggle of the Niger Delta. Also, Bernard Okumagba, who was screened as Managing Director of the commission, was a Commissioner for Economic Planning and later Finance in Delta State, and he cannot be called a Mr. Nobody. I am using this medium to call on the National Assembly to urgently put their house in order and inaugurate the board.
The Scam Called Forensic Audit:
It is now very clear that the Forensic Audit of the commission is a scam. Nothing is going on there. As a major oil-producing region, nobody has come to my domain, Idjerhe, to say they want to verify the project of NDDC in the region. With over 50 communities in my domain, there are abandoned NDDC projects, so, if they are carrying out forensic auditing they would have visited some of the projects, but they have not come here. So, I can boldly tell you that the NDDC forensic audit is a scam perpetuated by an individual to hold the whole region hostage. There is no probe of any kind that does not have a life span.
The last time, the minister said he was going to inaugurate the board in April, this is past mid-April already and nothing seems to be happening. What they refer to as forensic audit is a scam.
Apprehension in Niger Delta:
Tension is rising in the Niger Delta and as a royal father, I am concerned. Whatever we can do to stem the tide should be encouraged. If you go round the creeks of the Niger Delta you will notice neglect. There is a Maritime University in Gbaramutu that is being under-funded deliberately and I think that is an invitation to the crisis. Workers of the institution cannot be paid and those who are being paid are receiving half salaries. I want to call on the Federal Government to pro-actively address issues in the region before it gets out of hand.
Traditional rulers should Have Constitutional role:
As a royal father, before the advent of the colonial masters, the administrative institution of this country was in the hands of the royal fathers. I want to advocate that we need constitutional responsibilities for royal fathers in this country. They are closer to serve the people and they have the native authority over their people and when you look at them critically, the governor of Delta State, for instance, is in Asaba. As the royal father of my kingdom, I have three Dukes that report to me. The farthest is 30 kilometres away, while the closest is 10 kilometres. There is nothing that happens in those areas that I will not get the report in less than 20 minutes. But certain things will happen here and it will take the governor at least two days to be aware, while the same information will get to the President in almost one month. So, if you give the traditional rulers constitutional responsibilities, it will smoothen the administration of this country, enhance peace and security. The moment we have peace and security, the development will be rapid.
When I ascended the throne, there were lots of problems but we had to address the challenges and today there is peace in the land. The government will not come down to the level of the royal fathers. The royal fathers can come down to the level of culture and tradition of their people.
Journalism Practice:
I think very strongly that we are facing a crisis in the practice of journalism in Nigeria and we need to go back to the drawing board. The journalism practice and the media industry in Nigeria today need a lifeline. That many newspapers can no longer pay their staff and others can no longer print the number of pages you use to print, while yet others are going off the newsstand, is an indication of the harsh economic weather. Over 2000 social media sites cannot be equated to one national newspaper and that was the training I got as a journalist. As a thoroughbred professional, I know that the country will gain more to have newspapers flourishing. There are ethics and laws guiding the profession and not these publications on social media sites that do not have control. Social media has suddenly become the breeding ground for misinformation, mud slinging, and others because at every point there is no check. The traditional media needs support from the government.
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We are beginning to think that the Federal Government is collaborating with the Minister to undo the Niger Delta people and one of these days they will wake up to scrap the commission. We will not take that, but will continue to speak. We are saying categorical “No To Sole Administratorship”. A group of Nigerians were nominated, screened, and confirmed by the National Assembly and it behooves on the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to rise to the occasion by pushing for the inauguration of the committee that they have screened and confirmed. His Excellency, Pius Odubu, who has already been screened as chairman of that body is not an alien to the struggle of the Niger Delta. Also, Bernard Okumagba, who was screened as Managing Director of the commission, was a Commissioner for Economic Planning and later Finance in Delta State, and he cannot be called a Mr. Nobody
