Patrick O. Okigbo
In what seems to be a shocking revelation, Mr. Patrick O. Okigbo, the Principal Partner of Nextier, a multi-competency public sector advisory firm, on Monday disclosed that the Federal Government had spent N7.35 trillion in the Niger Delta between 2010 and 2014.
Okigbo, who, in an interview with Independent, admitted that fundamental challenge in the Niger Delta region was a lack of development and the poor human development outcomes, stated that the amount spent on the region did not generate commensurate development outcomes.
He attributed this to lack of transparency and accountability processes, lack of a shared and concerted development agenda for the region and absence of a logical framework for development planning in the region.
He said: “The fundamental challenge in the Niger Delta region is a lack of development and the poor human development outcomes. This is not for of lack resources.
“Our research at Nextier shows that the government spent N7.35 trillion in the Niger Delta between 2010 and 2014. Yet, this amount did not generate commensurate development outcomes for a number of reasons. We are not sure if the school in a community is really what the community needs,” he stated.
He noted that the Niger Delta Avengers’ bombing of oil and gas installations had reduced the nation’s gas supply to power generation plants, but advised the Federal Government to adopt a carrot and stick approach to tackle the crisis.
Okigbo said: “On the one hand, the government needs to make an irrevocable commitment to development of the region. This commitment must be spelt out in clear, measurable terms and must be independently verifiable by the people.
“The government should invite a multilateral agency, such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to hold both the government and the region accountable to the various commitments,” he added.
However, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, has disclosed that the Federal Government had taken steps to break up the country’s large dependence on power generation from gas-fired plants.
According to him, the Federal Government had started working on several hydro power plants, as Nigeria would not be held to ransom as a result of the vandalism of gas pipelines.
Fashola said: “We have seen from events that started around February 14 this year, repeated acts of vandalism of our gas pipelines that render us clearly vulnerable to one source of fuel for our energy development.
“That has challenged us to develop options and alternatives like solar in particular and, of course, hydro power plants in more quantitative response. So, we will be accelerating work on projects like Gurara Hydro Power Plant – phases 1 and 2, work has started on Zungeru Hydro Power Plant.
“We will also be accelerating work on Mambila Power Plant, which will give us the biggest single electrification source over a period of seven years that it is estimated to have it concluded.
“So, for us, this is a journey of diversification, a journey of electricity security for Nigeria and it is a journey that will ensure that in future it will be impossible to hold this country to ransom by controlling any particular source of fuel for electricity,” he stressed.
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