By Kingsley Adegboye

AS the federal government mulls its new war strategy code named ‘Crocodile Smile’, a member of Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria COREN, Misbau Opeyemi Aminu, an engineer, has stated that lack of meaningful development/dearth of infrastructure in the Niger Delta Region has remained a major issue to be tackled by the federal government.

Aminu, a council member of Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce who said the country has lost about Three thrillion Naira to Niger Delta crisis in six months, pointed out that the use of force rather than dialogue would be counterproductive on the long run as solution to activities of militants in the oil rich region.

According to Aminu, a member of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry who spoke in Lagos at the weekend, said the Niger Delta people have undergone denial of livelihood, oppression and persecution, a lot of contracts were awarded to different contractors for roads, hospitals, schools etc by the federal government, NDDC and organisations either as developmental programmes or as Corporate Social Responsibility projects that were financially mobilised but unexecuted due to the attitude and hostile nature of the people arising from frustration from the attitude of the government towards them.

He said, “Many contractors have vowed not to attempt projects in the Niger Delta area. Years ago Julius Berger was chased out of the terrain in spite of their clout and connection with governments and security agents.

“Contracts are executed at double the actual amount under spurious conditions and time liability. Many businesses that would have brought immense economic opportunities have moved out of Niger Delta due to the confusing demands, general attitude or hostile nature of the people.

“Projects are usually executed in other parts of the country because the people are more accommodating. For instance, Federal Government Girls College was being built in my community called Ajura, Obafemi Owode Local Government of Ogun State, and as a community leader I approached the contractor for job opportunities for our youths.

“Our youths were said to be lazy and expensive, hence the contractor decided to ‘import’ artisans from the northern part of Nigeria and neighbouring towns. Today, the school is completed awaiting usage”, Aminu noted.

Aminu said in Niger Delta, such a contractor would have been harassed and thrown out of the community and that he would be lucky to remain alive. “That would have been the end of the project and financial mobilisation”, he stated.

On infrastructure, he said the federal government, the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, and other government agencies only have capacity to initiate, fund and supervise projects but they cannot implement.

“A lot of projects have been awarded to different companies, but the contractors could not execute these projects in the Niger Delta. They have become abandon projects or loss of government funds. The people will rather impose impossible conditions on the projects or collect cash from contractors than allow smooth execution of the projects.

“Once we dialogue, compensate and educate the people, meaningful projects will evolve in the Delta and the region would soon become another Texas or Dubai. Niger Delta needs genuine dialogue that would involve tender of apology to the disadvantaged people, analyse past grouses, address immediate concern and promise a rewarding future for the alleviation of their pains”, Aminu said.