There has been an unnecessary hue and cry over a harmless statement by the governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, to the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Senator Diri, while playing host to the management team of the NDDC led by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Samuel Ogbuku recently in Yenagoa, bared his mind on what he considered to be an anomaly in the operations of the interventionist agency.
Among other things, he stated that it is important for the NDDC to carry governors of the nine Niger Delta states along in the execution of projects. He reminded the NDDC team that by the Act establishing the commission, the governors constitute the advisory board, and so consulting then ought to be the right thing to do. He went further to state that the duplication of projects in the region would have been avoided if the governors were constantly engaged as key stakeholders.
The Bayelsa governor cited several instances where the NDDC has acted alone, resulting in face-off and avoidable infractions with the governors. He also decried the setting up of the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Odi, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area for flood victims. The camp he believed would have been better situated at Biseni in Yenagoa Local Government Area. According to him, if his government was consulted, they would have properly advised the NDDC on it.
Diri’s admonition was devoid of hate, envy, or political sentiment. He spoke his mind as a leader and statesman. He has nothing personal against Ogbuku or the NDDC. He was spot on in his submissions. All that he said was not strange. They are facts.
Former Rivers State Governor and current minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, a few years ago also did the same. In fact, Wike took the NDDC to court on the indiscriminate execution of projects in Rivers State without his consent and got a favorable judgement.
So, it was surprising when some busy bodies, political turncoat, and attention-seeking individuals decided to hurl insults on Diri. They constituted themselves to emergency spokespersons of Ogbuku and the NDDC, to castigate the governor for saying what was right and timely at that. They blew the issue out of proportion in a manner that sold them out. Obviously, some of those who jumped on the issue did so because of their dislike for Diri. They were looking for an opportunity to vent their anger, and attack him. They got it. But truth is truth and cannot be overtaken by lies or outright falsehood.
One thing that is clear is that most of those who took Diri to the cleaners were ignorant of the issues that he raised while others did so because they are direct beneficiaries of the NDDC's missteps. For instance, who does not know that the NDDC is paying too much attention to solar street lights at the expense of other projects begging their attention. The solar light has become a patronage gift for friends, girlfriends, allies, and relatives of those in charge. It is the fastest means of getting money out from the commission.
There is, therefore, nothing wrong for Diri to draw the attention of the management to also prioritize other projects that would have a direct impact on the lives of the people and, by extension, the region.
Even though it took a bit too late, it is good that Ogbuku finally spoke against the media attacks on Governor Diri. Going by what Ogbuku said in his interview on a radio station last Saturday, it is now clear that Diri's position was misinterpreted, and he was vilified for no reason. Now that Ogbuku has cleared the air and insisting that Diri didn't say anything wrong, we hope that those self-appointed NDDC media aides would now rest and allow the governor to rest too.
