Senators from the Southsouth geo-political zone have kicked against moves by the Senate to include Lagos, Ogun, Bauchi and others that have attained the status of oil producing states into Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

The senators raised the objection, yesterday, during the consideration of a Bill for an Act to amend the NDDC Act sponsored by Olamilekan Adeola (APC, Lagos West).

Senate Deputy President Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central),  Matthew Urhoghide (PDP, Edo South) and George Sekibo(PDP, Rivers East) lampooned the move, just as Omo-Agege described Adeola as a classic meddlesome interloper and advised him and his cohorts to intensify efforts for the creation of Southwest Development Commission.

According to  Omo-Agege, Urhoghide and Sekibo, NDDC was created to address the environmental degradation caused by oil exploration in the region.

They asked Adeola to pursue the establishment of a commission to address developmental issues in the Southwest instead of seeking to make Lagos and others members of NDDC. 

Despite the stiff opposition to the bill by the senators from the oil producing region, the bill seeking for an amendment to the NDDC Act to accommodate the said states, scaled second reading.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, then referred the bill to the Peter Nwaoboshi (APC, Delta North) for further legislative action and report back at plenary in four weeks.

The bill, sponsored by Adeola seeks the inclusion of Lagos, Ogun, Bauchi and others that have attained the status of oil producing states into NDDC.

The nine states captured in the NDDC Act are Cross River, Edo, Delta, Abia, Imo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Ondo. 

In his lead debate on the general principles of the bill, Adeola noted: “Following the discovery of oil in Bauchi, Lagos and Ogun, these states have officially joined the league of oil producing states in Nigeria following the discovery of crude oil in Alkaleri LGA,  Bauchi; Badagry, Lagos, and Ipokia, Ogun State.

“By virtue of this, the states are entitled to the 13 per cent derivation that is due to oil producing states, according to the provision of Section 162 Sub-Section 2 of the Nigerian constitution.”

In his contribution, Urhoghide said: “I am not particularly against the sponsor of this bill. I just believe that the bill should be properly posited. Today, what each state gets from the 13 per cent derivation is a function  of production.

“Today, Gombe is fast becoming a host community, Bauchi and some other states. But to say these states belong to Niger Delta is not possible.

“If the idea is you want to share out of the 13 per cent derivation, they are at will as long as they produce oil but to say they must belong to Niger Delta, it makes mockery of the idea in the creation of NDDC.”

On his part, Omo-Agege said: “We look forward to the day when indeed all states in Nigeria will not only produce oil but produce one form of mineral resource or the other.

“What this lead debate clearly shows is that my colleague from Lagos is a classic meddlesome interloper. The NDDC is a regional development commission. We must draw a distinction between the NDDC and the oil and mineral  producing commission.”

On his part, Sekibo said: “I congratulate these states where my friend said they have discovered oil. What I don’t know is that whether the oil is in commercial quantity and they are exploring them for sale and the money going to Nigerian coffers. That one, he has not expatiated on that one.

“Are they exploring oil, are they refining oil in these places and has the oil caused any devastation in that environment? The purpose of the NDDC is not just because they found oil there, it is because the place has been so devastated and there is a need to see how they can remedy the place and because that place is so backward.

“Each time there is a law to support a backward people, to support people who are suffering, Nigerians will come out after a couple of years to dampen the strength of that law.

“There is nothing wrong that they are given their 13 per cent derivation, that is if funds from those oil are now in the US, they are exploring them, are they?”

Vanguard