Niger Delta Left Out of Major Projects, PANDEF Chairman Igali

The National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Dr Godknows Igali, spoke in an interview with Olufemi Adediran about the forum's views on resource control, government appointments, and political choices for the 2027 elections.

The biggest problem in the Niger Delta is the environment. After 70 years of oil production and 68 years of oil exports, the area is badly damaged and polluted. Gas flaring has lasted nearly 50 years. Almost every community where oil is found has suffered serious pollution.

The United Nations Environment Programme says our environment is the most polluted land in the world. There needs to be a regular and clear plan for cleaning it up. We must take action to restore the environment.

Currently, the government is focused on cleaning up Ogoniland due to the UNEP report. This report highlighted Ogoniland as heavily impacted, partly because of advocacy around the Ogoni issue. But every community in the Niger Delta has been affected. The government must take action across all states. We are talking about our future and our survival as a people.

Another big issue is infrastructure development. The terrain here is one of the toughest in Nigeria. Other regions have their challenges, but the Niger Delta's situation is particularly hard. The Willink Commission Report of 1958 noted that this region has many deltas and waterways. Building a road in Bayelsa or parts of Rivers and Delta states requires sand piling of five to six meters, which raises development costs.

That is why projects like the East-West Road are so difficult. Many bridges must be built. The cost of a 500-meter bridge here is more than the cost to build five kilometers of road in some other parts of Nigeria. So, in terms of infrastructure, we are lagging behind the rest of the country, even though the nation’s oil comes from our region. These are two big problems for our people. They cause unhappiness, yet many cannot speak out due to political pressure.

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was set up to drive development in oil-producing communities, replacing the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission. In its early days, there was some focus because it had a board, a Presidential Advisory Council, and a management team.

But for a long time, the commission ran without a board or management. It became a one-person administration answering to a minister and doing as they pleased. Recently, under the current government, a board and management have been put in place. They seem to be working together now, and things are more organized. This is what the law requires, and it should continue so that the commission can focus on long-term projects. The infrastructure gap in our region is still unacceptable.

One key part is still missing, the Presidential Advisory Council. This council should advise the board and management to keep them on track. It has not been set up yet, and we need it to complete the governance structure.

The commission should work more closely with state governments. I have seen some good examples, like the construction of the Nembe-Yenagoa Road in Bayelsa. Recently, in Delta State, it signed an agreement with the state government to build a major coastal road, and there are a few similar collaborations.

I believe there should be better coordination between the NDDC and state governments. Improving infrastructure will help reduce crime, especially sea piracy and oil theft. Oil theft thrives where security forces cannot get in. Once roads are built, security can reach those communities more easily.

You recently claimed that the Niger Delta was left out of the Federal Government’s list of major projects.

In June, there was a Federal Executive Council meeting. After that, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Works announced 26 plus one road projects across the country costing N3.9 trillion. The only road near the Niger Delta is the one linking Cross River and Benue states, and it does not even go through the main Niger Delta states.

What have we done to deserve this exclusion when the resources funding these projects mainly come from our region? When President Bola Tinubu went to London and secured a £746 million loan, part of it was to renovate and modernize the Lagos and Apapa ports. We praise the President for that. But why were the Niger Delta ports left out? Port Harcourt, Onne, Koko, and Warri ports were excluded, even though they are among the oldest ports from the colonial era.

Are we not part of Nigeria? Are we second-class citizens? The Constitution states that the governance of the federation should reflect all parts of the country. If ports are being improved, it is only fair that ports in the eastern part of the country, which serve large markets, should also be modernized.

Right now, many businesses have to go through Lagos, which does not help the national economy. We hope the Federal Government will pay attention to this. The Niger Delta deserves its fair share of infrastructure projects.

We wrote to the Presidency, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, and others about this. It was not a complaint; it was a request that, just as the Federal Government helped the Apapa and Lagos ports, it should also consider ports in our region. Sadly, we received no response.

Building a nation must be based on clear results and processes. Our founding fathers knew the importance of our diverse country in terms of ethnicity, religion, history, and languages. They agreed that Nigeria should work as a federation.

From the Arthur Richards Constitution of 1946 to the Macpherson and Lyttleton Constitutions, they established a federation where regions controlled resources. That allowed the South-West, led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, to introduce free education and build Cocoa House, the first television station in Africa, and many other important projects.

In the North, there were groundnut pyramids that greatly helped the economy and made Nigeria a top producer of groundnuts. Palm oil also brought in a lot of money before crude oil took over. This competition among regions was good and drove development.

Today, finance commissioners go to Abuja every month to share revenue. Our founding fathers had a different view on resource control because they saw its importance. It is in the interest of everyone to sit down and discuss this topic just as they did.

The problem today is that many Nigerians do not want to talk. When you suggest a national discussion, some people say, “No, we don’t want to talk; go to the National Assembly.” But our founding fathers spent about ten years discussing and negotiating the country’s structure, from the Ibadan Constitutional Conference in 1950 to the Lancaster House conferences before independence.

In every diverse country, sharing resources is a key issue. The military changed the system with Decrees 34 and 43 and imposed a unitary structure. We may not like the term “resource control,” but we should focus on the principle and its historical background.

Every state is represented in the Federal Executive Council, so I can say the President has followed the Constitution. But in some appointments meant to represent different parts of the country, some Niger Delta states are not well represented. For instance, in the oil and gas sector, the Niger Delta has many professionals, yet we are still not well represented. We need more representation, and I hope future appointments will consider our people more.

PANDEF is not a political group, and I do not belong to any political party. What I can say is that our people should carefully choose who to vote for and support candidates who truly represent the Niger Delta's interests.

We know there are some who do not care about the Niger Delta, and there are others whose success would not benefit us. Our people must be careful and vote for those at the national level who are committed to the region's progress.

At the state level, I think our people have learned important lessons by choosing leaders who act rather than those who just make promises. At the National Assembly, they should elect representatives who will speak up and defend the Niger Delta's interests.