Do we need the south-south development commission?

A bill seeking to establish another intervention agency for the Niger Delta region, to be known as the South-South Development Commission (SSDC), has just passed its Second Reading in the Senate and has been sent to the Special Duties Committee for further consideration. It is sponsored by Senator Ekpenyong Asuquo of Calabar South and co-sponsored by all the other 17 senators from the region. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is the brain behind the legislation, and I understand that he has staked his political capital on it and wants it passed by all means. The bill was first presented on the floor of the Senate three months ago but was roundly rejected by the senators, who argued that the proposed commission is a duplication of the NDDC, which has been in existence since 2000. “The rejection was a personal embarrassment to the Senate President, but he withdrew to fight another day,” a senator told me.

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There was still some resistance when the bill was re-presented last week, but this time, senators from the South-South region were more determined to get it passed. Senator Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa argued that while the NDDC is a resource-based commission, specifically meant for the oil-producing states, including Imo and Abia, the SSDC will only cater to the six states of the Niger Delta region. Senators are even contemplating a name change for the NDDC to reflect its focus on oil-producing states and distinguish it from the new agency. Senator Ekong Sampson (Akwa Ibom South) told me last week: “I represent the major oil belt of the region. We feel the pain and bear the brunt of oil production. NDDC is for all the oil-producing states of the nation; the SSDC is specifically for the South-South region, which has, over the centuries, been devastated by oil production. I am therefore very confident that the SSDC bill will be passed.”

In 2017, the Senate created the North East Development Commission, the first regional body established after the NDDC. NEDC was necessitated by the need to rebuild the North East after years of decimation by terrorist attacks. I supported its creation and argued that because of our interconnectedness, any part of the country left behind would be a drag on the rest of us. Since then, similar regional development agencies have been created for the other four regions—North West, South West, South East, and North Central. Now that the South-South senators have tabled their demands, we have come full circle. By their enabling laws, these regional bodies have similar organisational and management structures and sources of funding. They receive funds from the federation account, in addition to donations, aid, and grants. Their mandate is to tackle developmental and environmental challenges peculiar to each region. For the SSDC, priority would be given to ecological and environmental hazards, infrastructural inadequacies, as well as militancy and communal crises, which have plagued the region for years.

 “For the SSDC, priority would be given to ecological and environmental hazards, infrastructural inadequacies, as well as militancy and communal crises, which have plagued the region for years.”

I support the creation of the SSDC for the South-South region and commend Senator Akpabio for spearheading it. I’m also thankful to the senators from other states, notably Suleman Kawu (Kano South) and Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), for endorsing the bill. The argument that it is a duplication of the NDDC is flawed. For one, the North Central Development Commission was created earlier this year, despite the existence of the Hydro Electric Power Producing Areas Commission (HYPPADEC), created in 2010. Yet, nobody raised the issue of duplication. Second, SSDC and NDDC have different mandate areas. NDDC’s mandate extends well beyond the six South-South states, covering Abia, Ondo, and Imo, and may extend further to include new oil producers like Lagos, Nassarawa, Bauchi, and others in the Benue Trough. Third, since NDDC’s programs and projects are shared among the nine mandate states based on their respective volume of crude oil production, states like Cross River, which produce marginally, have benefited least from the NDDC programs. The SSDC is therefore needed to make up for this inadequacy by fairly and equitably providing for the six states.

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I have, however, noticed that the SSDC Bill does not specify where to locate the commission’s headquarters, unlike the NDDC law, which specifies Port Harcourt as the commission’s headquarters, and the Nigerian Content Development Board (NCDB) law, which stipulates Yenagoa as its headquarters. This omission could create unwarranted squabbles among the states, and I urge Senator Akpabio to ensure that the oversight is addressed. The SSDC Bill should stipulate Uyo as the location for its corporate headquarters for many reasons. Akwa Ibom is not only the largest oil-producing state, but it is also the most peaceful, hospitable, and suitable for siting an important federal agency. The Senate President must bring this one home.

For Senator Akpabio, SSDC might just be a given, but he has a lot more to do. The lukewarm attitude of the federal government towards the establishment of Ibom Deep Sea Port has put the Senate President in a difficult position. He is a leading member of the Tinubu inner circle. He flies into Uyo in a presidential jet and tools around in a big motorcade. Governor Umo Eno fawns over him, while the people sing his praises—all in an attempt to get him to facilitate federal support for the port project, which is clearly the people’s most sought-after infrastructural investment. But, so far, there is no indication that President Tinubu is interested in the project. This leaves Akpabio with nothing to brag about when he visits home, and the people sorely disappointed.