The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has called on President Bola Tinubu to promptly sign into law the bill establishing the South-South Development Commission. This appeal was made following an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees (BOT) held in Abuja on Monday.
In a communiqué read by PANDEF’s National spokesman, Obiuwevbi Ominimini, on behalf of National Chairman Dr. Godknows Igali, the organization expressed concern over the bill’s delay in receiving presidential assent.
The communiqué stated, “The bill, after passage by the National Assembly, was submitted at the same time as other geo-political zone’s commissions bill to the President, but ours is yet to be assented to.”
The group emphasized the importance of establishing a Development Commission for all six geo-political zones, asserting that the lack of assent for the South-South bill is a significant oversight.
Ominimini noted, “We view the withholding of assent as a grave oversight or error, capable of creating a feeling of exclusion and dejection on the part of the people of the South-South.”
The communiqué further highlighted the potential negative impact of this delay on the current state of peace in the Niger Delta region.
“The delay in assenting to this bill leaves the South-South zone orphaned within the broader context of regional development commissions,” Ominimini added, referencing other commissions established for various regions, including the North-East, North-West, South-West, and North-Central.
In light of these concerns, PANDEF urged the President to rectify this oversight and sign the bill into law without further delay. The organization clarified that the proposed South-South Development Commission is distinct from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which was established in 2000 to address issues affecting oil-producing communities.
To avoid confusion between the two bodies, the meeting recommended that the NDDC revert to its former designation as the Oil Mineral Production Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC). This change would help clarify the NDDC’s specific funding and operational framework, distinguishing it from the newly proposed South-South Development Commission.
