BY CHARLES KUMOLU,  Deputy Features Editor

The Commissioner representing Ndokwa on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Mr. Nnamdi Ezechi, discusses the efforts the commission is making at delivering on its mandate.

There are insinuations that DESOPADEC has not really lived up to expectation. Would you say that the commission has performed well in this dispensation?

•Nnamdi Ezechi

DESOPADEC was established by law in 2008 to manage 50 percent of the 13 percent derivation revenue accruing to Delta State from the federation account. The funds are to be spent on infrastructure and human capital development of the oil-bearing communities in the state.   Today, we can say that the commission has neither failed nor deviated from its mandate.

Apart from infrastructure development of the oil-bearing communities by the commission, its human capital development thrust is unrivaled as can be seen in the award of scholarships to deserving students and training of youths through its various skill acquisition centres in the communities within its jurisdiction.

Let me say here that youth restiveness is not peculiar to only the oil-bearing communities in any society. However, DESOPADEC has a functional and purposeful machinery to checkmate the malaise in the oil-bearing communities of the state.   The commission has micro-credit facilities for law-abiding youths who would want to invest legitimately to earn a purposeful livelihood. The commission also grants scholarships to deserving students to study in the country and overseas.

The commission also has functional skill acquisition centres to train the youths on various enterprises. Graduates of the centres are given starter packs upon graduation to set up their own small-scale business outlets.   Some of those youths are doing well and are now employers of labour.   DESOPADEC will continue to encourage youths to be law-abiding and   embrace its youth empowerment programmes which are tailored towards making them self-reliant in their chosen businesses. We have always stressed that oil companies owe their host communities the duty of performing their corporate social responsibility.

On youth restiveness

Luckily, youth restiveness has been tackled by the state government and DESOPADEC has been having several discussions and meetings with various stakeholders on to how to deliver on the mandate of the commission which is also hinged on the SMART agenda of the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa administration. In a nutshell, a look at our mandate will show the things we have done. We have executed projects like blocks of classrooms in schools, skill acquisition centres, training of manpower, and agricultural entrepreneurship among others.   There are roads, health centres among other projects.

I can only mention but a few. Some are ongoing while others have been commissioned. We get our funds from 50 percent of the 13 percent derivation. We came on board when militants’ insurgency was at its peak. This affected the position of the board as the financial situation was nothing to write home about. Other challenges we faced include pipeline vandalism and illegal bunkering which invariably affects the performance of the board. We thank God it has been stopped.

On resource control

Restructuring in terms of resource control will improve our status.   Imagine what it means for someone to own resources which are not under his control. Our environment today is laden with oil installations owned by some persons in this country.   I do believe that restructuring will make us get a higher value of what we really own. It will be a big advantage for us because it will improve the lot of DESOPADEC.

On three years of Okowa administration

I think Senator Ifeanyi Okowa is God sent. This is evident in his delivery of the dividends of democracy across the three senatorial districts. Okowa has performed beyond expectation. When we came in, we didn’t expect this government to execute most of the projects on the ground because of militancy which crippled the country’s economy of the country and the state.

There is no local government in Delta State that cannot boast of Okowa’s touch. He believes in equity. Let me state here that one of the major infrastructural issues in Delta State is the state of our roads. Today, in less than three years, Okowa has given critical attention to that issue. It will not be wrong to say that Okowa’s three years in government is more than eight years of some governors, considering the development he has engineered. It can only be better assumed, what Okowa can achieve if he is given two terms.

Do you think the state lawmakers are actually justifying the reasons for their election?

I want to extend my felicitation to my life mentor, the Deputy Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. Friday Osanebi. I believe what is most important in government and politics to make efforts that can redefine the existence of the people. Let me say without mincing words that Osanebi has touched a lot of lives both within and outside Ndokwa nation.

The state House of Assembly has performed exceedingly well in its oversight functions.   Also, the relationship between the legislature and executive has been healthy. The peace we enjoy in the state today could not have been achieved if not for their maturity. In a democracy, the arm of government that captures the mind most is the legislature.  

The closest politician to the voter is the representative of his constituency in the legislature. The state assembly has not failed in any of these regards. However, what they have done is a call for them to do more. I urge all my constituents to remain focus and steadfast. This government will not let them down. I know that the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, will rebound in 2019 at the federal level. The government of President Muhamadu Buhari is doing nothing to reduce the suffering of Nigerians.

He has done more accusation and politicking than doing the things he was elected to do. You must not kill people to get to where you want to. I also urge the electorate to ensure they get their voters card to enable them to vote out all the bad elements. I also urge them to support those, who are fighting tooth and nail to make life better for them. They should support people like Okowa and Osanebi.