The Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit 2024, convened by the Niger Delta Develoment Commission (NDDC) this July in Port Harcourt, may have come and gone but with lots of controversies, grumblings and protests here and there by various ethnic groups, critical stakeholders, civic society groups, labour groups and organisations who felt they were sidelined without any verifiable and justifiable reasons by those saddled with the mandate to expedite goodwill and positive development in th region.
It is has been widely alleged that the Summit, which was well publicized, could not capture the interests of many minorities and vital interest groups in the region hence the protests especially by groups such as the Movement for the Survive of Ogoni People (MOSOP), the National Council of Women Society (NCWS), some Student bodies, several NGOs and all their affiliate bodies in the region.
Why many have seen the summit 2024 as a waste of funds is based on the fact that the major beneficiaries were mostly people from outside the region, especially some allies and foot merchants of select political big wigs, public office holders, as well as those of the MD and other top management of the NDDC itself.
It is also irksome that is the order of protocols, as our investigations indicate, was awkward as the picture of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the Governor of Rivers State, host State of the Summit which ought to be first displayed among those of State Governors, as the host governor, was buried deep in Page 18 of the Summit Programme Brochure. Needless to say, this certainly has grave political connotations in respect to the the event and the altercations in the State.
Outside the displacement of the picture of the Rivers Governor Fubara, some analysts that spoke to this medium on condition of anonymous maintained that the intention of the NDDC Summit 2024 was not well captured despite the millions of naira spent with obvious intention to convince President Bola Tinubu that great things are happening at the Commission as against the abysmal racketeering of projects, sharp practices, high level scams and underhand activities going on there.
Worst of all most newspapers and media houses based in Rivers and other Niger Delta States where the Commission’s Headquarters is located and it’s primary constituency were grossly sidelined, given the nebulous scheme of imported media personnel and pecuniary manipulations that saw some of these media people lodged in highbrow hotels in Port Harcourt and given honouraria in millions.