A GLIMMER OF HOPE

Jones Ekpa reckons the appointment of Victor Ndoma-Egba as NDDC chairman is well made

While it is agreeable that the Niger Delta region occupies a strategic place in the development of Nigeria, the attitude of successive administrations in harnessing development initiatives for the region has been a subject of diverse scrutiny. Various agitations in the region since independence had been about development issues, though, often hijacked by some clandestine interests with ulterior motives.

Since coming on board, President Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated considerable wherewithal to get it right on the issue of development in the region. Apart from mobilising resources to bolster development, the need to bring in knowledgeable hands to steer the development processes has also been adequately addressed by the administration. This is where the recent appointment of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, as Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) comes into focus. This appointment further confirms Buhari administrations readiness to put square pegs in square holes.

For a man who has been in public service for the better part of his life, Senator Ndoma- Egba comes to the job with a wealth of experience to justify President Buhari’s confidence in him. To refresh memory, his father, Justice Ndoma-Egba, a legal luminary in his own right, dedicated a large part of his professional experience to the issue of development in the Niger Delta region. The senior Ndoma-Egba obviously passed the concerned traits to the younger who has remained a voice of reason since his younger day as Director General of Cross River Basin and Rural Development and then Commissioner for Works, both in the old Cross Rivers State.

Known for his avowed prudence, Ndoma- Egba brought the enthusiasm as a development advocate even while he consolidated on his legal profession where he rose to the height of legal prominence as a Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

When the good people of Cross Rivers Central Senatorial District overwhelmingly elected Victor Ndoma-Egba as senator in 2003, it was a reflection of the people’s appreciation of his potential and deep understanding of the challenges of the Niger Delta region. He rose through the ranks in the hallowed chambers in a career spanning 12 years to become Senate Leader.

While he served in the senate, NdomaEgba made the development of his constituency and the entirety of the Niger Delta region a fulcrum of his legislative interventions. While many in Cross Rivers State today owe their livelihood to the numerous skills acquisition projects of the amiable senator, many more in the Niger Delta see him as their champion.

Addressing development challenges in the Niger Delta requires tact and commitment. Evolving modern approaches that meet the demand of time should be at the heart of any effort targeted at achieving results. Any well-meaning person who has the interest of the Niger Delta at heart should join hands with Ndoma-Egba to achieve the collective objective.

His background in law and lawmaking is an added advantage to the task ahead. With renewed militancy in the region, some elements of sentimental opposition to the vision of the Buhari-led federal government and the stark underdevelopment that haunts the region recently, the verve that Senator Ndoma- Egba is bringing aboard is capable of meeting the mandates of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and this is comforting. To rally the people of a region who felt short-changed by successive administrations - including the one by their immediate kinsman- is a herculean task but could be met by the pragmatism of the incoming NDDC Chairman.

Majority of the people of the Niger Delta are confident of the sincerity of President Buhari in improving their lots. What the new NDDC leadership under the knowledgeable chairman needs to do is to consolidate on this confidence by bringing needed development to the region.

Senator Ndoma- Egba’s appointment is instructive in two ways: President Buhari has given Cross River State a better sense of belonging in the region, after her oil wells were taken by Akwa Ibom State in a most controversial manner, and the imperative of encouraging quality leadership which the erstwhile senator would bring to bear. Even the virtue of integrity and a knack for excellence which he is known for further attests to the president’s charge for change.

Ndoma-Egba parades a robust resume including an LL.B degree from the prestigious University of Lagos, LL.M from the University of Calabar and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1978. He was promoted to the rank of SAN in 2004, the only time a sitting senator ever got such privilege. In this particular appointment, President Buhari has shown that he truly appreciates excellence.