It was all joy when the law setting up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was passed in year 2000. The people in the oil producing area of Ondo State were full of great expectations that the neglect of their areas would soon be a thing of the past.
In December 2001, the Commission held an International Conference in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State where all stakeholders in the Niger Delta Area participated.
The Conference laid emphasis on the Mission and Functions of the NDDC and the need to bring development closer to the people. Under Section 7 (1) (b) of the NDDC Act, 2000, it was specifically stated that:
“The Commission shall-
(b) conceive, plan and implement, in accordance with set rules and regulations, projects and programmes for the sustainable development of the Niger-Delta areas in the field of transportation, including roads, jetties and waterways, health, education, employment, industrialisation, agriculture and fisheries, housing and urban development, water supply, electricity and telecommunications; …”(underlined are mine)
The goals set out in this section are geared primarily towards the sustainable development of the Niger Delta Area and nothing more.
In Ondo State, two Local Governments qualify as the Niger Delta Areas of the State: they are, Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Governments. Whilst Ilaje Local Government is as at today, the only oil producing area, the prospect of finding crude oil in Ese-Odo Local Government in no distant time, is very high. Aside from these two local governments, there are no other local governments in Ondo State that form part of the Niger Delta area of the State. Therefore, activities of the NDDC as stated above are meant to address the challenges in these two local governments. How will this be done?
Section 7 (2) of the NDDC Act, 2000 provides the answer. The section states:
“In exercising its functions and powers under this section, the Commission shall have regard to the varied and specific contributions of each member State of the Commission.”
Specifically put, the production quantum of each member State will account for the projects, employments etc that will accrue to the State.
Bearing the above in mind, the First Governing Board of the NDDC (and other subsequent boards) have set out the sharing formula as follows:
INTER STATE SHARING FORMULA
a. Regional projects (including project administration cost 25%
b. Income capacity enhancement 5%
c. Equality of States 25%
d. Volume of oil according to States 35%
e. Opex/Capex 10%
f. Total 100%
INTRA-STATE REVENUE SHARING FORMULA
a. Equality among LGAs 20%
b. Oil Exploration Zone (producing and non-producing) 10%
c. Pipeline Communities 10%
d. Area of volume of oil production 60%
e. Total 100%
The above have been the approved sharing formula in the NDDC since year 2000 until Honourable Olubunmi Tunji Ojo became a member of the House of Representatives in the National Assembly in 2019.
Hon. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo was elected to represent the Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency in the 9th Assembly. He was made the Chairman of House Committee on the NDDC through the benevolence of the then Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.
The Akoko North East/Akoko North West Federal Constituency that Tunji Ojo represented in the 9th Assembly does not form part of the oil producing area of Ondo State. For the records, there are 18 Local Government areas in Ondo State, divided into three (3) Senatorial Districts of 6 local governments each. The division is as follows:
1. Ondo South Senatorial District comprises of: Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele, Okitipupa, Odigbo and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.
2. Ondo Central Senatorial District comprises of: Ondo West, Ondo East, Idanre, Ifedore, Akure South and Akure North.
3. Ondo North Senatorial District comprises of: Owo, Ose, Akoko South West, Akoko South East, Akoko North West and Akoko North East.
There is no oil company operating or exploiting crude oil mineral in either Ondo Central or Ondo North Senatorial Districts. As stated earlier, only two local governments, to wit: Ilaje and Ese-Odo LGAs form the Niger Delta region of Ondo State. Hon. Bunmi Ojo is not from any of these two local governments: he is from far away Okeagbe in Akoko North West of the Ondo North Senatorial District.
As soon as Hon. Bunmi Ojo was made the Chairman of the House Committee on the NDDC, he began to hatch the plot on how he would maximize the benefits from the NDDC to his people in Akoko North East/West to the detriment, pain and anguish of the Niger Delta area of the State. The first thing he did was to collude with the Interim Management Committee (illegally put in place by the Buhari Administration) to appropriate all the projects meant for Ondo State, especially, the Niger Delta Area to Akoko.
2021 NDDC PROJECTS IN ONDO STATE
In the 2021 NDDC Projects, rather than following the laid down procedure in the NDDC in the distribution of projects, Hon. Bunmi Ojo went berserk and without a modicum of conscience adorned Akoko North East/West with NDDC projects. He ensured that virtually all the projects in the area were fully funded. It is instructive to note that out of the 66 projects awarded in the NDDC for Ondo State, Hon. Olubunmi Ojo ensured that over 16 CHOICE PROJECTS were taken to the 4 local governments in Akoko.
For Tunji Ojo to conceal his evil deeds against the Niger Delta Area, he categorized some of the projects into LOTS. The following examples will suffice:
(1) the Agbo Okela to Oscas, Ikare Road was categorized into 3 LOTS of 4km each:
(2) the Rehabilitation of Ayegunle/Iwaro Road was divided into 5 LOTS (Lot 1-5)
(3) the Construction of GTIC Road, Ikare/Ajowa Road, Arigidi was divided 2 LOTS (Lot 1-2)
(4) the Construction of GTIC Road, Ikare/Ajowa Road, Arigidi was made 2 LOTS (Lot 1-2)
(5) the Construction of 10 units Solar Power Borehole in Akoko North East/West Federal Constituency was made 6 LOTS (Lot 1-6)
Some of the projects, locations, LGAs and project descriptions are as stated in the graph below:
S/N PROJECT TYPE LOCATION L.G.A STATE PROJECT DESCRIPTION/LOT
456 Health Okeagbe, Akoko Akoko North West Ondo Construction and equipping of modern hospital in Okeagbe Akoko (Lot 1)
457 Health Okeagbe, Akoko Akoko North West Ondo Construction and equipping of modern hospital in Okeagbe Akoko (Lot 2)
458 Health Arigidi Akoko North West Ondo Construction Maternity Centre in Arigidi Akoko North/West
485 Roads/Bridges Ikare Link Road Akoko North East Ondo Construction of 3.5km of Ogbagi-Ikare Link Road (Lot 1)
486 Roads/Bridges Ikare Link Road Akoko North East Ondo Construction of 3.5km of Ogbagi-Ikare Link Road (Lot 2)
487 Roads/Bridges Oke-Igbagbo to
Oke-Imole Akoko Ondo Construction of 2km of Oke-Igbagbo to Oke-Imole Road, Auga Akoko (Lot 1)
488 Roads/Bridges Oke-Igbagbo to
Oke-Imole Akoko Ondo Construction of 2km of Oke-Igbagbo to Oke-Imole Road, Auga Akoko (Lot 2)
489 Roads/Brigdes Agbo Okela to Oscas, Ikare Akoko North East Ondo Construction of 4km, Agbo Okela to Oscas, Ikare Akoko (Lot 1-3)
498 Road/Bridges Ayegunle/Iwaro Akoko South West Ondo Rehabilitation of Ayegunle/Iwaro Road, (Lot 1-5)
499 Road/Bridges Arigidi Akoko North West Ondo Construction of GTIC Road, Ikare/Ajowa Road, Arigidi (Lot 1-2)
502 Governance Social Services and Sports Iyometa II Akoko North West Ondo Completion of Town Hall, Iyometa, Akoko North East, Ondo State
506 Governance Social Services and Sports Ikare Akoko Akoko North East Ondo Development of Community Resource Centre in Ikare Akoko
507 Governance Social Services and Sports Akunnu Akoko North East Ondo Development of Community Resource Centre in Akunnu Akoko North East LGA
508 Governance Social Services and Sports Ogbagi, Akoko Akoko North West Ondo Development of Community Resource Centre in Ogbagi Akoko
509 Governance Social Services and Sports Eyo-Oke Comprehensive High School Oyin Akoko Ondo Construction of ICT Centre in Eyo-Oke Comprehensive High School, Oyin Akoko
511 Water Supply Various Various Ondo Construction of 10 units Solar Power Borehole in Akoko North East/West Federal Constituency (Lot 1-6)
By the sharing formula put in place in the NDDC, 20% of the 66 projects were to be shared amongst the 16 Local Governments that are outside the Niger Delta mandate area. The number of projects would have been about 13. Since there was no board in place in the NDDC during this period, Hon. Bunmi Ojo doubled himself as the Ondo State Representative and the Chairman of House Committee on the NDDC. He broke all the known guidelines put in place by the NDDC and became a law unto himself, manipulating the award of contracts solely to his Federal Constituency.
Hon. Bunmi Ojo abused the privileges of his office and bastardized the guidelines put in place at the NDDC. He exhibited an unprecedented nepotism with reckless abandon! To worsen the situation for the Niger Delta Areas, Tunji Ojo used his position as the Chairman of House Committee on NDDC to FULLY FUND all the projects he allocated to Akoko and made no provision whatsoever for the projects in the Niger Delta Area.
EMPLOYMENT IN NDDC
It was not enough for Tunji Ojo to divert the projects for the Niger Delta Area to his communities in Akoko, he went further and gave virtually all the employments due to Ondo State to his kith and kin in Akoko. Out of the 36 employments allocated to Ondo State, Tunji Ojo ensured that 27 (twenty-seven) of them were allotted to his people in Akoko. This is the height of greed, selfishness and nepotism. The table below buttresses our assertion.
S/N NAME GRADE LEVEL L.G.A OFFICE REMARKS
1 Adeyemo Olanike 09 Akoko Abuja Employed
2 Adeyemo Kemi 08 Akoko Abuja Employed
3 Kadiri Gbenga 05 Akoko Abuja Employed
4 Mathew Femi 08 Akoko Abuja Employed
5 Otegbeye Oluwoleola 08 Akoko Abuja Employed
6 Shittu Lanre 09 Akoko Abuja Employed
7 Adefisayo Ebunoluwa 06 Akoko Port Harcourt Employed
8 Awe Eniola 08 Akoko Bayelsa Employed
9 Akindoyemi Ayodeji 08 Akoko Edo Employed
10 Bode Obanla Oluwaferanmi p. 08 Akoko Edo Employed
11 Oseni Hakeem Duro 08 Akoko Edo Employed
12 Afe Oluwabanji Vincent 08 Akoko Edo Employed
13 Akinyemi Olayinka 06 Akoko Edo Employed
14 Nejo Abiodun Emmanuel 04 Ilaje Ondo Employed
15 Obayelu Igbekele Stephen 09 Ilaje Ondo Employed
16 Asogbon Samuel 08 Ilaje Ondo Employed
17 Adeniji Victoria 08 Akoko Ondo Employed
18 Ehinmore Dare Kehinde 08 Ilaje Ondo Employed
19 Alaogin Adewale Michael 08 Akoko Ondo Employed
20 Orisalabaye Adeniyi R. 08 Akoko Ondo Employed
21 Balogun Babajide M. 08 Akoko Port Harcourt Employed
22 Idogun Sunday Godwin 08 Ilaje Ondo Employed
23 Omodara Babademi Dare 08 Akoko Ondo Employed
24 Akadiri Kazeem Kayode 06 Akoko Ondo Employed
25 Iwalefun Sunday 06 Ese-Odo Ondo Employed
26 Omowanle Temitope 06 Akoko Ondo Employed
27 Orowole Olaleye S. 04 Ilaje Ondo Employed
28 Ogunsemoore Justina 04 Ilaje Ondo Employed
29 Akinjo Bodunrin 04 Ilaje Ondo Employed
30 Adetimehin Adewale I. 10 Akoko Rivers Employed
31 Balogun Ayomitan I. 06 Akoko Rivers Employed
32 Ilesanmi Kayode Olayinka 06 Akoko Port Harcourt Employed
33 Adewumi Olumuyiwa 08 Akoko Port Harcourt Employed
34 Ajibade Adewale S. 09 Akoko Port Harcourt Employed
35 Monday Grace Abike 08 Akoko Edo Employed
36 Akanle Gbenga 09 Akoko Abuja Employed
The above are just a few of the evils Hon. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo meted on the people of the Niger Delta Area of Ondo State by using his position as the Chairman House Committee on the NDDC. While we are not complaining about the stupendous wealth the “Honourable” came into while he served as the Chairman House Committee on the NDDC, we wonder what Senator Peter Nwabuoshi did in the Senate Committee on the NDDC that fetched him the prison term!
We appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to save us from the hands of Hon. Olubunmi Tunji Ojo so that he will not inflict further injuries on us. We plead with Mr. President to direct appropriate agencies to look into these issues.
We also plead with the Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives to save us from untold hardship Tunji Ojo subjected us to by appointing person from the Niger Delta Area to man the House Committee on the NDDC.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Long live the people of the Niger Delta areas of Ondo State.
ENIOLA AYENUBERU, ESQ writes from Abuja.
