Niger Delta Leader and Freedom Fighter, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari has asked President Bola Tinubu to scrap the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and return the former Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC).
Dokubo-Asari said the OMPADEC, which was established in 1992, to rehabilitate and develop the Oil Mineral Producing Areas of Nigeria was proper, given the fact that there are oil-producing communities outside the Niger Delta region.
He said: “Mr. President, I am grateful and wish to commend your decision to reinstate the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. This decision shows your determination, reflects your deep understanding of the challenges and unique needs of the Niger Delta region, and demonstrates your commitment to addressing them.
“Mr. President, I know you are aware that Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC, was established to rehabilitate and develop the Oil Mineral Producing Areas of Nigeria which had been subjected to the devastating effects of ecological destruction and environmental pollution, this means that oil-producing areas that are not geographically in the Niger Delta, are captured in the OMPADEC programmes.
“The change of nomenclature from OMPADEC to NDDC suggested that the commission was established to address the agitation of only oil-producing areas in the Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers State.
