Asa Development Union (ADU) is protesting over what they described as an atrocious treatment of Ukwa West local government area of Abia State – by the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
ADU said – despite the fact that Ukwa West is the only oil producing area in the state – NDDC has over the years underdeveloped the area. Adding that NDDC’s only achievement recorded in the area is non-execution of projects, abandonment and non-functionality of few executed projects.
In a press statement signed by the President-General and Secretary-General of ADU, Dr. Onwubiko N. Dike and Dr. Ik Ajuzieogu – the group quoted a publication of NDDC published by ThisDay Newspaper which contained a total breakdown of the distribution of the Commission’s Projects allocated to Abia State.
In the publication, according to the ADU, Ukwa West (the only oil producing area) was allocated only two slot, while non oil producing areas were allocated higher.
Reacting over the publication and years of negligence meted on the people of Ukwa West, ADU charged NDDC to do the needful by allocating more projects in the area and completing the abandoned projects in Ukwa West.
“Based on this hugely disproportionate, vexatious and unpalatable picture of the allocated NDDC Projects to Ukwa West LGA as carried in the newspaper publication, Asa Development Union hereby vehemently wishes to call on NDDC to right the obvious wrong,” part of the statement read.
Read the full statement below;
A PROTEST ON ATROCIOUS TREATMENT OF UKWA WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ABIA STATE BY THE MANAGEMENT OF NIGER DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
Asa people of the only oil and gas-producing Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State wish to express their deep-seated discomfort and sadness over the appalling activities/programmes of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the Local Government Area.
It is terribly disquieting to state that by all intents and purposes there has been a persistent and utterly insensitive, vexatious and atrocious treatment of Ukwa West LGA in the allocation of NDDC projects in Abia State being characterized by non-execution, abandonment, poor execution and non-functionality of the few executed projects as can be seen in the unimpressive pictures of a few selected projects shown here.
The latest act in this orchestrated malfeasance is unmistakably seen in the NDDC Publication:
“Pre-Qualification/Invitation to Tender (ITT) for Goods and Works and Expression of Interest (EOI) for Consultancy Services for the Commission’s 2020 Projects and Programmes”
Which appeared on pages 43-50 of Thisday Newspaper edition of Wednesday, March 17, 2021.
Pointedly, in the Category 2B: ITT for Works (pages 44 & 45 of the publication), of the 57 projects allocated to Abia State, only a paltry and insignificant two (2) projects were proposed for Ukwa West Local Government
Area namely:
1. Project No. 29: Construction of Umuokpara, Obehie Internal Road,
2. Project No. 35: Construction of Umuodeke-Uzomkpuri Railway Road, Ukwa West.
A breakdown of distribution of NDDC Projects allocated to Abia State as captured in the Category 2B: ITT for Works is shown as follows:
1. Ukwa West LGA (the only oil and gas-producing area of Abia State) – 2
2. Ukwa East LGA – 4
3. Aba North LGA – 2
4. Aba South LGA – 2
5. Isiala Ngwa North LGA – 2
6. Obingwa LGA – 7
7. Arochukwu LGA – 3
8. Bende LGA – 13
9. Ikwuano LGA – 5
10. Isuikwuato LGA – 4
11. Ohafia LGA – 4
12. Umuahia North LGA – 6
13. Umuahia South LGA – 3
From the foregoing, it is patently inconceivable why non-oil and gas-producing areas of Abia State should be allocated higher number of projects with high impact value whereas the only oil and gas-producing Ukwa West LGA (that suffers environmental hazards of oil and gas production activities of oil companies) is denied her legitimate allocation of NDDC projects in Abia State in contradistinction to the subsisting NDDC Intrastate Revenue Sharing Formula as shown hereunder:
- 60% Volume of Oil Production
- 20% Equality among LG As
- 10% Pipeline Communities
- 10% Oil Exploration Zones (producing or not)
This is totally tendentious, reprehensible, repugnant and unconscionable as it derogates from the clear mandate of NDDC to cater for the peculiar developmental needs and aspirations of oil and gas-producing communities of Niger Delta Region which is Ukwa West LGA in the present circumstance.
Our Prayers
Based on this hugely disproportionate, vexatious and unpalatable picture of the allocated NDDC Projects to Ukwa West LGA as carried in the newspaper publication, Asa Development Union hereby vehemently wishes to call on NDDC to right the obvious wrong by:
1. carrying out a review of the published ‘Pre-Qualification/ Invitation to Tender (ITT) for Goods and Works and Expression of Interest (EOI) for Consultancy Services for the Commission’s 2020 Projects and Programmes’ to allocate more projects that have economic value to Ukwa West LGA.
2. as a matter of paramount importance and urgency complete all abandoned NDDC projects (2001 till date) in Ukwa West LGA including:
i. Asa Civic Centre/Multipurpose Hall, Obehie-Asa
ii. 132KV High Voltage Line & 132/33KV Sub-station, Ikpokwu-Asa
iii. Construction of District Hospital, Obokwe-Asa
iv. Ukwa West LGA Regional Water Scheme linking Ozaa, Asa Group & Ipu
v. Niger Delta Regional Technology Village/Industrial Park, Okeikpe-Asa
vi. Mini-Sports Stadium, Okeikpe-Asa
3. as a matter of prime and urgent need root out a nestle of heartless political buccaneers and mercantilists in the inner recesses of NDDC vis-a-vis the devious implantation of Abia Directors from non-oil producing parts of the State in the NDDC top management positions who deploy dangerously manipulative political and repugnantly rapacious shenanigans to short-change Asa people of the only oil and gas-producing Ukwa West Local Government Area, Abia State.
In addition to the above demands, Asa Development Union most passionately appeals to the Federal Government to establish Federal University of Science & Technology in Ukwa Land to empower our people to survive the developmental exigencies of the 21st century.
See below abandoned projects by NDDC in Ukwa West;
