By Ike Wigodo

Amidst protests by stakeholders over the appropriation of N50billion for the service of the Niger Delta Ministry, a member of the Federal House of Representatives representing Ahoada West/ Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Federal Constitutency, Hon Asita O. Asita has raised an alarm that only N18billion may afterall be released for the ministry this year.
In an exclusive interview with The Tide aviation correspondent at the weekend, the federal lawmaker disclosed that of the N50billion originally appropriated, N28billion reportedly spent on the East-West Road by the Federal Government may have been deducted at source while the balance of N4billion is for recurrent expenditures.

This means, instead of N50billion for various works in the region by the ministry with N28billion already deducted at source and N4bn projected to cover recurrent expenditure, only N18billion may be channelled toward capital expenditures.

‘That figure as far as I am concerned cannot convey to me any sense of sincerity of purpose on the side of the leadership. Our leaders are not sincere to develop the region”, he said.

He recalled that before the creation of the Niger Delta Ministry, there was a technical committee appointed by the Federal Government and the committee presented good facts and figures to government on how to develop the region, but regretted that the report might not have been considered.

By that committee’s judgement, the sum of N50billion was grossly inadequate, and in fact, did not constitute up to five or 10 per cent necessary to meet the urgent needs of the Niger Delta, and wondered if N18billion was not “ merely a drop of water in an ocean”.

Assuming that these inequalities will be addressed in the near future, Hon Asita appealed to the people to be patient and view the development as a phase that will pass with time.

The lawmaker observed that the Federal Government ought to know that the only way to respond to the zeal expressed by the people of the Niger Delta toward the creation of the ministry was to show sufficient goodwill and attention to the very needs that informed the creation of a special ministry for the area.

One way of doing so, the lawmaker said, is for the Federal Government to appreciate the difficult and peculiar deltaic terrain of the Niger Delta in all consideration for infrastructural development, arguing that what may be required for the construction of roads within the Niger Delta could be used on ten of its kind elsewhere.

Most of the economic hot-beds that sustain the Nigerian economy are not linked to the cities by road because of such deltaic constraints, he said, and wondered how anyone could be expected to confront such needs with a paltry N18billion in a whole year.