The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to sign the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) Bill into law.
The group also demanded the renaming of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) back to its original name, Oil Mineral Producing Area Development Commission (OMPADEC).
Speaking to journalists after a Board of Trustees meeting, PANDEF’s National Spokesperson, Obiuwevbi Ominimini, emphasized that signing the SSDC bill would promote justice and equity, just as similar bills for other regions have received presidential approval.
He clarified that the NDDC should not be mistaken for the South-South Commission, as it serves oil-producing communities beyond the South-South region.
According to Mr Ominimini, the NDDC was designed to cater to all oil-producing areas across Nigeria, not just the South-South states.
PANDEF urged the federal government to address these concerns promptly, ensuring fair treatment for the South-South region in line with other parts of the country.
PANDEF also called on President Tinubu to appoint somebody from the Niger Delta region as the next Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited.
PANDEF also described as regrettable the recent decision by NNPC to join some private investors to develop five new LNG, CNG and LP complexes in Kogi State with none in the Niger Delta, where the gas for most of these activities will come from.
The group said the decision “negates all known economic parameters on siting industries close to source of raw materials, it gives credence to the long standing agitation on the fact that NNPC and its management continue to pursue very unfair policies towards the South-South zone.”
Ominimini stressed that “the people of Niger Delta are the most peaceful people in the country.”
