Ukwa people of Abia State, under the
aegis of Asa Development Union (ADU), have warned the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC) and oil exploring companies in the area
against pushing them to resort to violence over the continued neglect of
their communities by sidetracking them in the scheme of things.
Conducting journalists round the various
sites where projects were started but abandoned by NDDC over 10 years
ago in many communities in Ukwa West Local Government Area, the
President General of Asa Development Union, Dr. Onwubiko Dike, insisted
that since the discovery of crude oil in Owaza in Asa in 1958, the
people have not enjoyed any landmark project to atone for the long years
of degradation of their environment.
Accompanied on the visit of the
abandoned projects by elders and leaders of thought from various
communities in Asa land, Dike lamented that even the ones sited and
started sometimes ago have been abandoned by the commission, thus giving
the impression that Asa communities are not part of the oil producing
communities of this country.
He disclosed that the NDDC has reneged
in all agreements it had with people which, according to him, included
the building of a multi-million civic centre/multi-purpose hall at
Ugwuati, a modern sports complex at Okeikpe, 132/133kv electricity
substation at Ikpokwu, Obokwe district hospital as well as the
reconstruction of Ugwuati-Obokwe-Uratta-Aba road amongst other
agreements.
He regretted that despite the efforts
made by his people to enter into dialogue with the NDDC aimed at
ensuring the completion of the projects, the commission had continued to
rebuff any parley that would make contractors handling the projects in
Asa land to return to sites.
Addressing journalists later at a
meeting of Asa Development Union in Obehie attended by prominent sons
and daughters from the area, Dike outlined the sad experiences of Asa
people in the hands of the commission which, he said, included the
non-execution and abandonment of its projects, awards of non-existent of
roads/bridges, poor execution of its projects, non functionality of the
few executed projects, deliberate denial of Asa people of benefits of
NDDC human capacity development programmes among others.
In their remarks, the Secretary General
of ADU, Dr. Ikechi Ajuzieogu and an elder in Asa land, Alfred Agomuo,
requested that all the NDDC projects meant for Ukwa West to pass through
the Asa Development Union before they are satisfied for execution,
adding that a joint programme committee of NDDC and Asa Development
Union should be instituted to assist the conceptualisation, design,
implementation and execution of any project to be sited in the area.
“Award of contracts to Asa indigenes
should be a top priority of NDDC in the execution of infrastructural
projects sited in Ukwa West LGA for the purpose of empowerment and
ownership by Asa people”, they further demanded.
The people used the opportunity to call
for the immediate swearing in of their son as a member of the commission
now that President Muhammadu Buhari has returned from his medical
vacation, pointing out that it was only Abia that has not had a
representative on the board of the NDDC.
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