Jonathan, ex-president, wants NDDC to embrace agriculture, industrialization

…demands completion of abandoned projects

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has identified the way forward for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to diversify from oil-based economy to agriculture and production-based one, saying the future of fossil fuel is bleak.

Jonathan, who spoke at the first Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum that was held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Capital last week, also demanded an action on the issue of abandoned projects in the oil region.

The ex-president urged the NDCC to look into what happens to roads they constructed, saying they either retain the roads for maintenance or hand them over properly to States to maintain them.

He said bad roads done by the Commission was giving the NDDC a bad image, urging the experts to find a way out for life after oil as he suggested industrialization to support the economy of the region.

He however suggested that the dedicated industrial loans be managed by the Bank of Industry (BoI), saying the attempt to give loans by the Oil Mineral Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) did not work in the past as he asked the NDDC to find a method that works.

He also called for human capital development scheme to make Niger Delta young people to fit into work plans and jobs anywhere in the world.

He called on the NDDC to support agriculture with funding, admitting that agric loans are difficult to recover as he urged the present management to find a way to ensure that agriculture move to a business that would attract the new generation in the oil region

Jonathan caused a stir when he called on politicians to give the NDDC a chance. He said the first Board led by Onyema Udochukwu with Timi Alaibe as Managing Director seemed to be the moment when the Commission had a vision and direction.

He said the present management seemed to have restored the vision and confidence needed to drive the region. The ex-president said he had studied their actions and statements to reach this conclusion.

“It’s not because they brought me here. That’s why I agreed to attend in person”, he said.

He blamed the political class for capturing the Commission and appealed to the Senate President to help lead a new relationship between politicians and the NDDC.

He reminded the audience that the NDDC came as a child of necessity, and recalled how the National Assembly used its creation to show its power by overriding the President (Olusegun Obasanjo).