Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The member of the House of Representatives, representing Degema/ Bonny Federal Constituency of Rivers State, Farah Dagogo, has described Nigeria’s 60 existence as a period of abject poverty and modern slavery for the people of the Niger Delta.
Dagogo, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Lawal, on Thursday, accused both the federal and state governments, as well as multinationals oil companies of subjecting the people of Niger Delta “to the most inhumane living conditions ever imagined”.
The lawmaker noted that since t the discovery of oil in commercial quantity in Oloibiri, in the present day Bayelsa State, in 1958, the people of the region have regrettably been the worse for it.
According to him, the 13% derivation revenue for oil producing communities has allegedly not been utilized judiciously by both past and present governors of the Niger Delta.
He added that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has failed to ameriolate the plight of the people, as it is allegedly subject to dictates of politicians and influential Nigerians, who are allegedly in the habit of planting board and management of the commission.
“We have nothing to celebrate after 60 years.Go out to the streets of the Niger Delta. Go to the oil producing communities; no drinking water, no health facilities, lack of electricity, no road, all those things we called basic amenties are lacking.
“The people are reeking from abject poverty. Lamentations everywhere, and this region produce over 95% of what is sustaining the country, yet what do we have to show? Explain to me how it is not a clear case of crude form of modern day slavery?
” The Federal Government felt it has done the Niger Delta region a favour with the paltry 13% derivation revenue. But how do we in all conscience tell the Federal Government that they are unclothing Peter to clothe Paul, when our governors, both past and present have failed to judiciously utilize that fund?,” Dagogo queried.