The Federal Government has been advised to provide a take off grant of $30 billion to address the new initiative in the Niger Delta region. Former Minister of Finance, Etubom Anthony Ani, who made the call in a chat with newsmen in Calabar opined that there was no need for the nation to carry excess reserve while part of the nation is yearning for development. An appropriation of $20 billion from the nation’s reserve with another $10 billion form Excess Crude Account (total $30 billion), he said, should be targeted at road, railway services and other infrastructural facilities in the Niger Delta region”.
According to Ani who is a member of the federal government’s review committee on Niger Delta, “at the moment, Nigeria’s external reserve stands at about $63 billion and according to the Country Review Report, the payment for imports in the year 2005 was $25 billion. Nigeria normally needs a reserve for 6-12 months import”. Ani a chattered accountant of repute and former president of Institute of Chattered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) said, “this massive (call it Yar’Adua) plan could serve as the bedrock on which all other development initiatives will be anchored”.
He added that the development strategy that is contained in the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan should, with the active support of the new Niger Delta Ministry be compressed into a 10-year action plan. “In particular, infrastructural facilities such as water, electricity, roads and bridges, coastal transport, Schools, hospitals, creation of new towns, security should be implemented without delay,” he emphasized. As an immediate measure, Ani said government should commence the trans-coastal highway from Ondo State to Cross River State, sand-fill swamps in Delta and Bayelsa States, build the long-abandoned Calabar Etankpini-Ikom-Ogoja Road and complete the Calabar- Ikoneto- Uruan-Uyo Road and start the Railway link of all the States in the region”.
He said: “the concept for building a new capital Abuja was adopted on the 3rd of February 1975 by Murtala Mohammed/Obansajo Regime. Various Governments, 1st Obasanjo, Shagari, Buhari, Babangida and Abacha spent huge sums to build new Abuja. “The Oil windfall of 1989/90 mostly went into building Abuja. Shagari moved to Abuja in 1984 where Buhari coup met him. From all indications, it will appear that Abuja was built by the Federal Government from Royalties accruing to Niger Delta. This makes it imperative for amends to be made by the Federal Government and the whole of Niger Delta Region be developed to Abuja standard.
Thus the creation of Ministry for Niger Delta is a welcome development. “If we want to eradicate poverty, Government must ensure that the money allocated to the Niger Delta region circulates within the region. This means that the role of NDDC must change. Currently the NDDC is an Agency of the Federal Government. When money is voted for projects, the chunks of the projects are allocated to the “big” people in Abuja so that when the NDDC Chairman departs for his headquarters, he moves with contractors from Abuja.
“There are virtually no contractors from the Niger Delta region and as a result the “foreign” contractors cart away money that would otherwise have circulated and developed the Niger Delta region”, he noted. On environmental degradation, the ex-minister pointed out that, the environmental situation in most of the Niger Delta region particularly in areas where crude oil is won is pathetic saying the oil companies should be held responsible. The water in the riverine area he said is polluted as well as the air. “There are no roads, all the fish are dead, there are no jobs and there is perpetual idleness “Why should the youths not carry arms to help themselves in these circumstances? We have often wondered when it is realized that there is oil exploration in Scotland and Texas and yet these places are clean with little or no environmental hazard.
Are the oil companies carrying out exploration in those places not the same that do the same in Nigeria? Why should the Nigeria situation differ? “The fact is that whereas the oil companies spend part of their profiles on environment friendliness in those countries, they believe that in so far as royalty is paid in Nigeria, their job is over. This is wrong”. Etubom Ani maintained that “despite all the money derived from the Niger Delta region, this region remains the poorest in the Country why? The truth is that this money does not circulate in the region and there can never be growth”. He attributed youth restiveness particularly in the core areas of the Niger Delta to lack of Education, lack of employment, poverty and rascality, noting, “some youths believe that easy money could be made had led to the formation of street gangs whose activities are mainly kidnapping and demand for fat ransom money.