Usani: Torn Between N’Delta Needs and Political Ambition

Although there are some achievements, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani, who prefers the prefix 'Pastor,' cannot lay claim to realising much of the dream programmes he envisaged for the region, writes

spite of several assurances to evolve innovative funding initiatives to ensure completion.

Only last month, the minister told a delegation from oil and gas producing areas in the Niger Delta that the federal government had approved N100 billion to complete sections 1- 4 of the critical project.

One of the minister's achievements was to bring the Niger Delta Development Commission ( NDDC) under his ministry's supervision.

Empowerment Programmes/Skills Acquisition Centres

Although the minister executed a couple of empowernent programmes for women and youths in the region, most of the skills acquisition centres he inherited from the previous regime, especially in the South- east are yet to be completed. Failed Dreams

In 2016, the minister unveiled a lot of initiatives, which looked wonderful on paper. Some of them included common economic and communication projects for all the oil- producing areas. Among them was a fibre optic project. The dream projects which were unveiled with funfare in Akwa Ibom State with some governors in attendance, suffered death before arrival.

The same fate also befell a proposed trust fund for the region. Alhough the minister did not divulge much information on the proposed trust fund, it was configured in a way that donor agencies, international oil companies ( IOCs), local and multilateral international financial institutions and corporate entities would contribute to a pool of funds that would be deployed in developing the Niger Delta.

Usani however oversaw a technical audit report of projects from the ministry’s inception and how funds were frittered away.