Chief Edwin Clark, the Leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to remove Abia, Imo, and Ondo states from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), through amendment of the 2000 Act establishing the commission.

This, he said was to remove Non-Niger Delta Oil Producing States of Abia, Imo and Ondo from the nine states that make up the NDDC.

The nine states are Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Imo, Abia, Cross River and Akwa Ibom.

The elder state man made the call at a news conference held in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to Clark, in the first instance, the inclusion of the three states in the commission was a political aberration.

He said: “If NDDC is to succeed, the three states should be severed from the act.

“NDDC should remain the six original Niger Delta Coastal States. All other oil-producing states should establish a relationship with the oil companies and Nigeria.

“This is particularly true now that oil has been found in other parts of Nigeria including Anambra which is already producing 0.9%, Bauchi, Gombe, Nasarawa, Kogi, and Lagos States.

“They cannot therefore be part of NDDC.

“The NDDC Establishment Act 2000 signed by the then Senate President Chuba Okadigbo outlined the functions of the nine states and who should be the Executive Management.

“One should bear in mind that the addition of Ondo, Imo and Abia was a political aberration.

“For me to demand for the removal of Non-Niger Delta Oil Producing States from NDDC is for NDDC to succeed.

“The success of the NDDC is the success of Nigeria.

“There was a reason why Imo, Abia and Ondo were brought into NDDC. Geographically they are not niger delta; they are not coastal states. It was a political aberration.

“The Federal Government should make arrangements to accommodate them as it is in NDCC same principle to be used not to disorganised the NDDC we want to succeed.”


He likened the NDDC to a liability company which also has majority shareholders and minority shareholders.

“A situation where a minority shareholder in a limited liability company would like to be a managing director of the company, it is unreasonable, improper and chaotic.
“That is the main reason why I said no.

“It is not possible for a minority shareholder of even 5 per cent to be the Chairman or Managing Director of the limited liability company.

“It will be unfair and inequitable for a state that produces 1.02 per cent to produce a managing director of the NDDC.

“I know Nigeria as we are, the tendency will be to develop their own minority oil-producing state to develop their area at the expense of the majority of oil-producing states which incidentally happen to sum up to over 90 per cent of the oil.

“It is therefore, unreasonable, provocative and selfish for Imo which produces only 1.02 per cent quantum of oil to demand removal of the Chief Executives of NDDC Board that has been confirmed by the Senate.”

Source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/10/edwin-clark-asks-tinubu-to-remove-abia-imo-ondo-from-nddc/amp/

Another Foolish talk..

Before now I used to admire people in politics, I was seeing some of them as smart people until I started encountering some of them..

Nigerian political class is filled with dumb clowns if you encounter these people one on one and have interaction with with them..

Average political science graduate is more smarter than them.. Don't be deceived by the escort following them around..

Edwin Clark is one of them.. Is it that this man despite his years in politics doesn't know the difference between Niger Delta and SS ?

A state like Cross River State produces
nothing, yet you want it to be included In Commission because it's in SS, while others outside SS that produce oil should be removed from NDDC ?

This man na big disappointment

By Modern and English definition, Abia, Ondo and Imo are states with River Delta


.

Chief Edwin Clark, tell the EFCC to go after NDDC MDs who looted their money and used it to fund their expensive lifestyle. Leave those three states alone. They aren't the reason why the MDs are looting the commission's money.

By the way, the oil derivation money is shared according state's contribution to the pool. Who noticed that Cross River State collects almost nothing since Akwa Ibom State took all their oil wells and Nigeria ceded Bakassi to Cameroon?

Ijaw people have joined them too, that is why all oil companies and establishments left Warri. Warri is a shadow of itself as of today, our oil crew, foolish man

Awon eyan "awa oyel money"

This old man will not die well

SoNature:
Chief Edwin Clark, tell the EFCC to go after their MDs who looted their money and used it to fund their expensive lifestyle. Leave those three states alone. They aren't the reason why their MDs are looting their commission's money.

By the way, the oil derivation money is shared according state's contribution to the pool. Who noticed that Cross River State collects almost nothing since Akwa Ibom State took all their oil wells and Nigeria ceded Bakassi to Cameron?

You want him to report himself to EFCC? He is one of those that have been looting NDCC na

The mouthpiece of the people then.
I say it every day but my brothers who are not good with their history keep on making noise.
The best ally an Igbo man has ever had in Nigeria is the Westerners.
After and during the civil war, the Westerners (southwest) never attacked the Igbos.
During the Civil War, the guys in Edwin Clark's homes were treacherous. After the Civil War, they equally manifested it.

Betrayal runs in their blood. Look at what an old man is saying.
When he should be making peace, he is calling for war. Evil man

I have never seen more divisive old men like this Edwin Clark and Ayo Adebanjo.
Our healing would start when people like these have a change of mentality.

The commission, so far, has been useless to the Niger Delta States.

It's preferable every oil-producing state gets its derivation managed by a state commission monitored by the FG, Ministry of Finance, agencies such as the EFCC and citizenry interest groups.

His submission might not have been properly articulated and carried an undertone of self-absorption, he has a point nonetheless. A better approach should be to rename NDDC something like Oil Producing States Development Commission (OPSDC) in order to accommodate both Niger Delta States and non-Niger Delta oil producing states. NDDC, as a name, isn't encompassing.

Those states are there because they belong to that NigerDelta oil basin.

Gombe and Bauchi, or any Northern oil producing state for instance, would not be part of NDDC as it's oil source would have no business with the NigerDelta oil basin.

“There was a reason why Imo, Abia and Ondo were brought into NDDC. Geographically they are not niger delta; they are not coastal states. It was a political aberration.

And Ondo is a coastal state, even if Imo and Abia are not.

RightToReject:
His submission might not have been properly articulated and carried an undertone of self-absorption, he has a point nonetheless. A better approach should be to rename NDDC something like Oil Producing States Development Commission (OPSDC) in order to accommodate both Niger Delta States and non-Niger Delta oil producing states. NDDC, as a name, isn't encompassing.

Agreed!

But his grouse is that some produce much oil while some like Imo produce so little, yet have equal authority in the commission.

He wants the big boys to be separated from the small boys, especially when they are already from different political regions.

He is basically saying let the big boys have their league, and let the small boys have theirs separately. He is not interested in a new name that would accommodate all.

SE always saying SE/SS.

SS only know SS.

I hope those who chose to live in their own delusion of an assumed SE/SS togetherness get rehabilitated soon.

A situation where a minority shareholder in a limited liability company would like to be a managing director of the company, it is unreasonable, improper and chaotic.
“That is the main reason why I said no.

And the old man refused to call on fulani to surrender thire oil well.

If you remove the three state and fulani still control 90 percent of your oil well tell me who is mugu naa

NaMe4:
The commission, so far, has been useless to the Niger Delta States.

It's preferable every oil-producing state gets its derivation managed by a state commission monitored by the FG, Ministry of Finance, agencies such as the EFCC and citizenry interest groups.

They do already.

The funds used by NDDC is an extra from the federal government share of oil revenue, and not the derivation due to each state.

Ezeama400:
Another Foolish talk..

Before now I used to admire people in politics, I was seeing some of them as smart people until I started encountering some of them..

Nigerian political class is filled with dumb clowns if you encounter these people one on one and have interaction with with them..

Average political science graduate is more smarter than them.. Don't be deceived by the escort following them around..

Edwin Clark is one of them.. Is it that this man despite his years in politics doesn't know the difference between Niger Delta and SS ?

A state like Cross River State produces
nothing, yet you want it to be included In Commission because it's in SS, while others outside SS that produce oil should be removed from NDDC ?

Naa by force

Idiot..If we want to follow it geographically, then there will be nothing like South South. Most states of the South South are geographically not Niger Delta.

The Niger Delta region consist only of Bayelsa state, the riverine area of Rivers state and the warri area of Delta state. The largest city in Niger Delta region is warri not Portharcourt.

Upland rivers (including Port Harcourt) Delta north in Delta state, Cross River, Edo and Akwa ibom are not part of the Niger Delta region.

The crafty old man wants to define Niger Delta region in a half -correct fashion that includes all south south states, knowing full well that if the non Niger Delta regions of the south south are excluded, they will lose claim to majority of crude oil deposits in the country. He wants a Niger Delta region where Igbo speaking people and other ethnic groups will produce oil while his ijaw will have the loudest claim.

See fool..

Cruise777:




This man na big disappointment

By Modern and English definition, Abia, Ondo and Imo are states with River Delta


.

Stay your line

SoNature:
Chief Edwin Clark, tell the EFCC to go after their MDs who looted their money and used it to fund their expensive lifestyle. Leave those three states alone. They aren't the reason why the MDs are looting the commission's money.

By the way, the oil derivation money is shared according state's contribution to the pool. Who noticed that Cross River State collects almost nothing since Akwa Ibom State took all their oil wells and Nigeria ceded Bakassi to Cameron?

This is Niger Delta the home of ethics minority of the SS

Jlow2:
Ijaw people have joined them too, that is why all oil companies and establishments left Warri. Warri is a shadow of itself as of today, our oil crew, foolish man

Chevron head quarter still in Delta state and the state remain the top producer of crude oil in the region.

2023 exposed alot of elders

NOC1:
The mouthpiece of the people then.
I say it every day but my brothers who are not good with their history keep on making noise.
The best ally an Igbo man has ever had in Nigeria is the Westerners.
After and during the civil war, the Westerners never attacked the Igbos.
During the Civil War, the guys in Edwin Clark's homes were treacherous. After the Civil War, they equally manifested it.

Because Niger Delta people are more sensitive than ever due to their experience

Edwin Clark never understood that the constitution of Nigeria does not recognize anything called South South, Niger Delta or geopolitical zone

Sangoamadioha1:
I have never seen more divisive old men like this Edwin Clark and Ayo Adebanjo.
Our healing would start when people like these have a change of mentality.

Edwin Clark and Ayo Adebanjo are totally different people.

Edwin Clark is protecting the rights of the indigenous peoples of the SS

He is right in a way but Ondo is a coastal State. NDDC has failed and will continue to fail not because of the addition of the 3 States but because it is not community based but rather State based. "OMPADEC" should be returned so that the projects will concentrate on oil producing communities not STATES. In Rivers State for example so many projects are sited in Port Harcourt instead of the communities affected by oil exploration and exploitation. NDDC should be scrapped.

Indeed

So of all the problems in Nigeria, this is the most distinguished and demanding problem...
Sometimes a few of us feel we ought not to have known Nairaland or any Nigerian News platform that updates us of Nigeria's foolishness and mediocrity.