NIDDEMOG Challenges Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Others on Niger Delta Development Plan

NIDDEMOG Challenges Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Others on Niger Delta Development Plan
The Niger Delta Development Monitoring Group (NIDDEMOG) has challenged presidential candidates to present clear plans for addressing the Niger Delta’s infrastructure and environmental challenges.
The group identified the abandoned East-West Road project, non-functional refineries and seaports, coastal erosion and environmental degradation as critical issues requiring urgent attention.
Chief Nengi James-Eriworio, Team Lead of NIDDEMOG, made the call in a statement issued at the weekend ahead of the commencement of political campaigns.
He urged presidential candidates to move beyond political controversies and personal attacks and present concrete proposals for regional development, economic prosperity and empowerment.
James-Eriworio also cautioned governors in the South-South against endorsing candidates without securing firm commitments to address the region’s longstanding challenges.
He said political endorsements should translate into measurable federal interventions in road infrastructure, seaports, refineries, coastal protection and environmental remediation.
The NIDDEMOG leader expressed concern that presidential candidates were not giving sufficient attention to the development priorities of the Niger Delta.
He cited controversies surrounding the proposed coastal road as evidence of what he described as inadequate engagement with the region’s specific challenges.
“How can a former governor of Cross River, 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 extended 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 the candidates for concentrating on personal attacks and derogatory language instead of addressing climate change, environmental pollution and the development needs of oil-producing communities.
He urged them to present clear proposals for reducing gas flaring, completing the East-West Road and implementing comprehensive coastal protection programmes.
The group also called for the restoration and remediation of oil-producing communities affected by cumulative oil spills, including a proposal to rename 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 challenges as political campaigns commenced.
He maintained that the proposed coastal road addressed a longstanding infrastructure need and should not be dismissed on political grounds.
According to him, the Niger Delta deserves more federal investment in roads, bridges, refineries and seaports in view of its contribution to the nation’s oil revenue.
He also advocated an increase in the 13 per cent derivation fund to 20 per cent and called for a directive requiring international oil companies operating in the region to relocate their headquarters and functional offices there.
James-Eriworio said an integrated network of roads and bridges would connect coastal communities, improve access to markets and public services, and open up previously inaccessible areas.
He cited proposed road links around Agge and Brass in Bayelsa, as well as road and bridge connections in the Bonny and Opobo axis of Rivers, as examples of infrastructure possibilities in difficult coastal terrain.
He urged the Federal Government to address the deteriorating condition of existing roads, particularly the East-West Road, alongside the construction of 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.
The NIDDEMOG leader further urged South-South governors to demand clear commitments from presidential candidates on the East-West Road and other development priorities.
He warned that silence and unquestioning party loyalty would not serve the interests of the region or its people.