By Yange Ikyaa
Stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have said it possible for the Nigeria to achieve its quest to halt illegal oil activities in the region.
They also requested for prompt release of funds to the Commission and called on the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and gas processing companies operating in the region to fast-track the release of funds to enable the management team consolidate on their resolve to clear all liabilities bedeviling the commission.
The stakeholders, who included those from Niger Delta Indigenous Contractors Association (NDICA) and the Contractors Association of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) stated this Thursday in Port Harcourt, also said there was increased advocacy, sensitization and various upscaling strategies adopted by the NDDC, which are is helping to divert the attention of the youths in the region from illegalities to engaging in meaningful ventures.
“The sensitization of youths of Niger Delta communities on dangers and grave implications of pipeline vandalism, illegal oil bunkering, and refining activities in the region by NDDC is apt and will undoubtedly lead the way in upholding the Federal Government’s quest to halt illegal bunkering in the region,” said the National President of NDICA, Dressman Darlington-Gbolobofa.
According to him, the vexed issues of non-payment of contractors after executing jobs for the NDDC has been laid to rest.
It has been reported that the Commission has started a thought out strategy to pay contractors, starting with small tickets which constitute about 60 percent of its debt to contractors.
The move, Darlington-Gbolobofa said, underscored genuine intention by the Commission to do things rightly under Samuel Ogbuku led administration. He added that the improvement was sequel to interactive sessions with stakeholders and the contractors’ association in the region, where both parties listened to each other and proffered solutions for the way forward. Such people-centered administrative style, he said, has significantly boosted the positive public perception of the Commission as well as the government.