Showdown In Senate As S’South Senators Kick Against Plot To Include Other Regions In NDDC

As Omo-Agege Describes Colleague As Meddlesome Interloper

ABUJA – South-South Senators on Wednesday kicked against a plot by some of their colleagues to include other regions in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The plot by the senators especially those of the South-West geopolitical zone, was seriously rebuffed to the extent that the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, described the sponsor of the Bill, Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan (Lagos West), as a meddlesome interloper.

The Bill for an Act to amend the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the inclusion of new old producing areas and states (into NDDC) and other matters connected therewith, was sponsored by Senator Olamilekan.

The Bill which seeks to accommodate states that have attained the status of Oil Producing States into the NDDC was read for the first time in the Senate on Tuesday 17th December, 2019.

In his lead debate, Olamilekan said: “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 Local Government, Bauchi; Badagry, Lagos, and Ipokia, Ogun state. By virtue of this, the states are entitled to the 13 percent derivation that is due to oil producing states according to the provision of Section 162 Sub-Section 2 of the Nigeria Constitution.

“The purpose of this Bill is for the Act to make provision for new states who has joined the leagues of Oil producing states in Nigeria and for states that might eventually discover oil in the future as opposed to the present position of the Act which only covers Oil producing states within the Niger Delta region. Furthermore, the inclusion of the new oil-producing states in the Act saves costs and follows precedence.

“In conclusion, this amendment is to accord the same provisions of the law amongst other benefits accrued to oil producing states in Nigeria to the new oil producing states and future oil producing states,” Senator Adeola so submitted.
The Niger Delta lawmakers have, however, kicked against this move to include these states.

Specifically, the South-South senators described Senator Adeola as a meddlesome interloper, adding, “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.

“Dealing with the issue of 13 per cent derivation. To us, that is not an issue to the extent that they produce oil in commercial quantity and DPR so determines, that oil is being sold, and revenue is sent to the federation account. That is not the issue yet. The issue is whether or not just because they are oil producing they should come under NDDC, if you are looking for meddlesome interlopers, you don’t have to go too far to find one.

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

On his part, Senator 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 drilling them out for sales and the money going to Nigerian coffers. That one, he has not expantiated 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 use.”

Senator Matthew Uhroghide, who said the Bill was wrongly presented and also reminded the sponsor that what constitutes the NDDC today is tied to its production capacity, added that “I am not particularly against the sponsor of this bill. I just believe that the bill should be properly posited.

“NDDC today is the area that constitutes Niger Delta. Is very clear. The nine states of the Niger Delta region are very clear.

“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 the Niger Delta region 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.”

https://independent.ng/showdown-in-senate-as-ssouth-senators-kick-against-plot-to-include-other-regions-in-nddc/

The early our SS people realise that it is only our SE neighbors that mean well for us in this country the better for us.

Afonja and thier Hausa/fulani counterpart never mean well for us...

Oil oil oil, what the Bleep is nigeria still doing with worthless oil?

Everythinggood:
Oil oil oil, what the Bleep is nigeria still doing with worthless oil?

Hydrocarbons resources in a massive scale will always cause trouble

Oftentimes I wish Nigeria never had oil. Oil has become a curse to that nation.

November1857:
The early our SS people realise that it is only our SE neighbors that mean well us this country the better for us.

Afonja and thier Hausa/fulani counterpart never mean well for us...

That was before. Right now we don't give two bleeps about you guys. We don't even want you in our new country. We no send una again.

Our leaders are still in the 20th century.

NDDC, a fraud conduit for SS politicians

This matter would escalate soon because the Bill is a set up by Buhari fulani people using a Yoruba senator as front.
Soon Buhari people from desert North will start amplifying the Bill. They earlier wanna delete the 13% last month by hausafulanis in HOR. Now this.

November1857:
The early our SS people realise that it is only our SE neighbors that mean well us this country the better for us.

Afonja and thier Hausa/fulani counterpart never mean well for us...

Please nobody in SE gives a f.uck about anyother zone.

SE takes care of SE and SE alone. Make all man go fight their own battles alone.
Maybe we might care about few proudly Igbo communities in SS, but that's all there is to it.

We wish you all over there in SS, good luck.

Our South South senators should take a chill pill.
They want one Nigeria, so let every region enjoy from the benefits including 13% derivation.
In fact I suggest they increase it to 50% now dat dey ve discovered 10,000 litres of crude oil in Bauchi

Cosmatikka:
Our South South senators should take a chill pill.
They want one Nigeria, so let every region enjoy from the benefits including 13% derivation.
In fact I suggest they increase it to 50% now dat dey ve discovered 10,000 litres of crude oil in Bauchi

The Bauchi and Gombe oil are not for all Nigeria but they just want to ruin NDDC with the same corrupt nepotism and fraudulent way Buhari is ruining Nigeria in the NDDC.

Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan (Lagos West),


Not igbo not hausa or fulani but guess who afonja senator .

No yoruba person is worth a single vote from midwest region come 2023 .

TooMuchStuff:

The Bauchi and Gombe oil are not for all Nigeria but they just want to ruin NDDC with the same corrupt nepotism and fraudulent way Buhari is ruining Nigeria in the NDDC.

I once worked at the site. Those ppl re just wasting money looking for oil in a desert. The budget for the site is around #300,000,000/day, and they've been working there for like 3yrs now

Igboid:


Please nobody in SE gives a f.uck about anyother zone.

SE takes care of SE and SE alone. Make all man go fight their own battles alone.
Maybe we might care about few proudly Igbo communities in SS, but that's all there is to it.

We wish you all over there in SS, good luck.

Nwanne, your argument is correct.

But it is wrong for you to say this to November1857; he is an Akwa Ibomit that defends us.

dasparrow:
Oftentimes I wish Nigeria never had oil. Oil has become a curse to that nation.

Don't let anyone deceive you: Nigeria would have been worse than Niger Republic if oil wasn't discovered here.

The reason is that most Black Africans cannot think out of the box; they just want easy money. That's why Buhari would rather borrow money to finance the budget than think of ways of generating revenue locally.

BTW, these boys should stop all these senseless rants. There should be definite criteria for states to join the NDDC and enjoy the 13% derivatives. If those states met the criteria, they should be added immediately. Oil and gas is no exclusive reserve of anyone in Nigeria. I'm sure Senator Sekibo George raised this same point.

Niger Delta is a historic territory made up of people and communities within that area. It has been called by that name for centuries because of its nearness to the sea. Although Lagos is close to the Atlantic, it was not and has never been identified as a part of the Niger Delta. What has Bauchi got to do with Niger Delta? So if oil is found in Sokoto, then Sokoto too called be termed as “Niger Delta”. How this senators make mockery of themselves is quite mind boggling.

The hypocritical senator, looked at the 13% and thought up a plan to include Lagos. As usual, knowing that he would not be able to secure the needed votes from the south to pass the bill, decided to sentimentally include Bauchi in the north. With northern votes in the house he intends to get enough votes.

I keep wondering when some of these political office holders from the south will wake up and be man enough to take their own destinies in their hands. He carefully in his presentation let the house know that it would be costly setting up another commission and possibly make no sense to do that, but in the end showed himself a very mindless person.

Now the bill faces a very stiff opposition and I hope it will not be passed seeing that it is designed to make mockery of the Niger Delta people.

Greedy people.

I think they should scrap the NDDC altogether.. it serves no purpose if you ask me, just a means for corrupt polithiefcians to launder money. The focus should be on cleanup of Ogoni lands and other degraded areas in the Niger Delta so fishing and agriculture can come back to life.

Lagos, Ogun and Bauchi should get the 13 percent derivation and other allowances for oil producing states.

SEPARATE NNDC FROM ODC, OIL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

AND RESCHEDULE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES.

haha20:

That was before. Right now we don't give two bleeps about you guys. We don't even want you in our new country. We no send una again.

You're more Biafrans than us. Check the people that is running pro-Biafran group called Biafra Nation league. It's basically people from Akwa Ibom-Cross River..

SEPARATE NNDC FROM ODC, OIL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

AND RESCHEDULE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES.

STOP TYING GOAT HORNS WITH THAT OF A RAM.

Igboid:


Please nobody in SE gives a f.uck about anyother zone.

SE takes care of SE and SE alone. Make all man go fight their own battles alone.
Maybe we might care about few proudly Igbo communities in SS, but that's all there is to it.

We wish you all over there in SS, good luck.

Ignorance, check the people that has been fight alongside with the Igbo's since the civil war. Akwa Ibom and cross River people. You're not more Biafrans than us.. check the link below..

https://m.facebook.com/BiafraLeague

“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.”

I thought NDDC means Niger Delta Development Commission, is Kogi, Bauchi and Lagos part of Niger Delta region ?

Why not just rename the commission to something like NIger Delta and Allied States Development Commission

Why Not Call sokoto and katsina Nigei Delter, and Akwa Ibom Northen Forum or Arewa?

I love how Buhari is showing everyone his many faces of wickedness.
Hopefully, this serves as a lesson to never elevate a religious and tribal extremist such as hell rufai to become president again.
However, the damage that has been done by bubu may never ever be undone.

Maxymilliano:


I thought NDDC means Niger Delta Development Commission, is Kogi, Bauchi and Lagos part of Niger Delta region ?

Why not just rename the commission to something like NIger Delta and Allied States Development Commission

They should go and form their own oil producing association and develop themselves with their 13%

It has started

I agree with the South South senators on this

Igboid:


Please nobody in SE gives a f.uck about anyother zone.

SE takes care of SE and SE alone. Make all man go fight their own battles alone.
Maybe we might care about few proudly Igbo communities in SS, but that's all there is to it.

We wish you all over there in SS, good luck.

It is attitudes like this by some Igbos that has made the SE irrelevant in the scheme of things. You think you can achieve anything without strategy and allies?
Did you see how Wike worked with SS Govs to challenge the Revenue collection bill?
What has the SE achieved politically since 1999?
It's unfortunate that grand standers like you are the most vocal and ready to insult anybody who is not of Igbo stock.
Tomorrow, when nobody support any of your agitation, you will say the Nigerian state hates Igbos.