Delta State: The paradox of an oil rich state

By  BARRY AGBANIGBI
The present story of Delta State is that of rich state, disillusioned people. But how would Governor IfeanyiOkowa respond to the situation and reality of life in the state now. BARRY AGBANIGBI in Asaba reports

A foreign visitor whose first contact with Nigeria begins and ends at Abuja would presume that some of the oil producing communities of Nigeria is a cosmopolitan paradise. Sadly enough, however, they are some of the least developed parts of the world. There is no pipe bone water. The roads leading to oil communities are dotted with potholes. There are also no provisions for electricity in most of the cities.
For the people of Delta State, presumably the richest of the 36 states of the federation, these are hard times. One only needs to take evening walk along the popular Nnebisi road in Asaba, the state capital, to observe the lull in social and economic activities.
There are more sad faces on the streets than was the case nine years ago. Gone is much of the glamour that was part of life, in what the state government calls the “fastest growing state capital in the country.

 
“Things are very rough” is like a catch phrase that is prominent in every conversation among Deltans today, whether in Asaba, Warri, Ughelli or any other urban centre in the state. Things have become terribly bad, said Barrister Roland Ombe, a human rights activist. To the casual observer, this is unbelievable. Deltans themselves wonder how life has suddenly become difficult in the midst of all the oil wealth they often pride themselves with.
From the inception of the former administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan in May 2007, the state received an average of N6.5 billion every month from the statutory Federation Account. October last year, figures released by the Federal Ministry of Finance showed that Delta State received a whopping N25 billion consisting of monthly federation account allocation and share of proceeds from the Excess Crude revenue plus derivation money.

 
“We are not unaware that our state often called the “Kuwait of Africa” is one of the richest in Nigeria. We know how much accrues to this state every month from the statutory allocations. What we cannot understand, however, is why there is so much poverty and no corresponding improvement in our lives, particularly since the past years.
While the state is getting richer, the ordinary Deltan is getting poorer. Government officials agree that there was substantial improvement in revenues during former Governor Uduaghan’s administration, but they were quick to deny that the state was rich. They argued that government’s obligation and responsibilities were so overwhelming that the huge revenue paled into insignificance. Our monthly allocation has not dropped yet our lives are no longer the same, said Mrs. Rosemary Dafe, a retired school principal.
The former administration of Uduaghan pointed to some of the projects money was spent on to include roads, now grounded Asaba airport, street lights that don’t function, urban transit, micro-credit scheme now under probe by the current administration of Governor IfeanyiOkowa and several other projects.

 
Most people are not convinced by the government’s argument. They believe that they are not being told the truth about the state’s revenues. There is a general feeling among the people that their difficulties began with the former administration of Uduaghan, who adopted measures to cut down so-called waste and misapplication of public funds. “It’s obvious that the former government failed, said Mr. John Bekederemon, a civil engineer.
As a result, subventions to ministries and extra-ministerial departments were cut down by 20 percent; ministries could not award contracts exceeding N1million and had to purchase their own utility vehicles, with reduced subventions notwithstanding. Some allowances were slashed.

 
To the government’s credit, monthly salaries were prompt and regular. All the public sector workers applauded Uduaghan for this gesture. However, the joy and gain from prompt payment of salaries were quickly eroded by the high prices for food and other daily needs.
One only requires visiting the markets in any of the urban centres of the state to observe how the people of one of the richest states in the country are coping with high prices. Many families are no longer able to afford balanced meal, particularly for the children.
All over the state, people who did one contract or the other for the state government are grumbling over the delay in payment. Their businesses are today collapsing and commercial banks from which they borrowed money to execute government contracts express worry over the delay in repayment. To worsen the situation, the interests on the loans have continued to rise.

 
Not a few of these contractors have developed hypertension; some have even died out of frustration. Yet, the current administration of Senator IfeanyiOkowa, ever so indifferent, claims that it is verifying the contract claims. The plight of the government contractors trickles down to the rest of society.
Same goes for the underfunded ministries and government departments. And worst of all, no new contracts are being released, further strangulating segment of the business class.

 
Young graduates for lack of employment, roam streets in search of jobs which are very scarce to come by. Where they find job at all, they are paid mere stipends. This is one of the factors contributing to the rising crime wave and prostitution.
Artisans are not left out. The former administrations so-called cost-cutting measures have adversely affected the business climate. The number of people that cannot afford three meals continues to rise. Put summarily, the people are disillusioned and wish for a return to the good old days of former Governor, Chief James Ibori.
There is an urgent need to reverse this situation and bring back smiles to the faces of Deltans once more. The current state of affairs can only alienate the citizenry further if allowed to persist. Worse, it can even undermine the security of the state as well as confidence in the government, said a concerned stakeholder.
The current government of Senator Okowa should, as a matter of urgency, increase the funding to the ministries and departments for better service delivery. This will enable them to pay their contractors for the speedy completion of ongoing projects and award of new ones. The much-needed accelerated development of the state should not be sacrificed on the altar of cost-cutting measures as introduced the former Gov. Uduaghan.
All that is needed is close monitoring of officials to ensure the prudent use of public money. Those who misuse such money should be identified and punished accordingly.”
Deltans are sacrificing too much and this state of affairs should not be allowed to continue for too long to avoid a complete loss of confidence in the government and breakdown in security. Delta should not continue to remain the paradox of a rich state, but disillusioned people.