By Mike Akpati
A child born in 1990 is 30years old today. He was only 8years when we had what we all called nascent democracy. Twenty-two years on, the child is full adult and most likely with children.
Without any doubt, the same child born of Ndokwa extraction would have travelled to, or within neighboring towns and villages like Oghara, Ogwashi Uku, Agbor, Owa-Alero, Ozoro, Asaba,Oleh, Ughelli, Mosogar ..to mention only but these few, in his quest for education or employment and must have certainly been bemused at the rate of development all over… except in his Ukwuani/Ndokwa Land!!!
Why so? He could not get any ready explanation from his parents, growing up and he could not explain to himself, yet the trend only continued because his tribes men have not been lucky to be in position of authority or the governor of delta state!!!
As a young graduate employed in the Delta state civil service, he is disadvantaged as most of his colleagues are been promoted above him in quick succession such that he becomes easily, one of their subordinate. He has no permanent secretary from his place and scarcely any Director to complain to or to assist fight the injustice he suffers as the going attitude is based on Ima Nmadu (who know man)!This is the part of the travails of a typical Ndokwa man in Delta state civil service.
If truth be told right now, were it to be possible to sell the air we breathe, Delta State Government would have sold to Ndokwa indigenes as the last resort to extinguishing us!! Why? For lack of how else to punish a people who says nothing about the ill-treatment from those milking her resources dry. But God forbid!
Delta state has received trillions of naira from monthly Federal Allocation since 1999. Not to mention internally generated revenues.
Going by the current Domestic debt record, Delta state ranks 4th with the sum of #233,000,000,000.00 (Two Hundred and Thirty-three billion Naira) among the league of states in the federation. This position does not in anyway compare in developmental stride among the states in question. Delta state lags behind twenty states, none of which are in Niger Delta region by my valuation and the three local government areas of Ndokwa/Ukwuani of the State, are worse hit in developmental indices in the country. So where has all the money gone?
Chief Onanefe Ibori and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan governed the state for eight years each from 1999 to 2007 and 2007 to 2015. Their preference showed visible development of Oghara and other towns but nowhere in Ndokwa Land. Ibori constructed the bridge to the home of Chief E K Clerk- a single effort that earned him second term ticket from the Ijaws! He started and finished the Oghara Teaching Hospital of Delta state university, Abraka and dotted campuses of the University and Polytechnic in other senatorial districts. They built the school of Nursing, the sports stadium, ensured that the Naval Camp is located at Oghara, constructed all connecting roads within and outside the town, thus turning the small village with dotted block buildings pre 1999 to today’s mega town. Going further, he established the Oleh Campus of the state university and gave Oghara,Ozoro and Ogwashi Uku Polytechnics, then the school of Agriculture at Anwai. All these exercises were in Delta States budget and executed with Billions of Naira. Critically, Ndokwa/Ukwuani nations the three local government areas that produces at least 70% of the Oil/ Gas revenue were completely ignored!!!
Dr. Emmauel Uduaghan took over from Chief Ibori.
He was so obedient that he even took instructions from England through emissaries for the greater development of Oghara where he sank funds into the Teaching Hospital, school of nursing and some additional internal roads. The initiated Asaba Ughelli road is still under construction sixteen years after! His other initiative was the Industrial Park in Warri which unfortunately died a natural death after all the grand noise that welcomed it.
Yes, there were pockets of trainings here and there in Songahi. However, the question to ask is – How many Ndokwa people benefited from all these programs???
In another swift turn of event Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa arrived the scene with pomp and gantry and before our eyes, he got nick named the “Road Master”! One need not mention his stride because they are all here for all to see! For him, everywhere else may matter but certainly NOT Ndokwa!!!Demographically, Ndokwa is one of the most peopled local government areas. Economically, were are the bread and butter of the entire state.
Our contributions to the national coffer is higher than what more than ten states put together can ever dare! But what is the federal government take on this? We were fantastically or do I say, graciously blessed, with “Federal Prisons”, established probably in the Lugardian times! Unfortunately, we do not have criminal tendencies such that the prison is not running even at average capacity. Hummmmm!
We have always fallen prey to electoral promises of our trusted alleys because they come to us in every shade even with our respected brothers and sisters in toe and pretend that we are one! We have received the best of sweet persuasions. The worse being that our first eleven in the political arena since 1999, never had any bargaining point or power. They were core faithfulls of (party is supreme) and unparalleled loyalist off unimaginable pedigree! Not anymore. This time we shall have to take our destiny in our hands!
Constituency comes much as an afterthought. In every local government, we sing different tones with imaginary arrowhead leading and whose interest is in the pittance they are offered. The result is that the elected, upon getting to office feels that they have fulfilled their obligations and owes us nothing, if anything, we should be happy with the crumbs as dropped by their man! Now, we will determine what we desire and get what we deserve.
Today, all over the land, the cry is now loud, louder and getting uncontrollable! Our people and in particular our youths, seem to have come to the realisation that if anything, we must stop this followership without noticeable reward. Our trained youths are crying for job placements, personal empowerment etc, but there is nothing in sight even from the nearest future. Will you still remain wishing and hoping? The time is now ripe for us to take our own on every bit if we perish we perish!
Now the pain is visibly clear as everyone is shouting to the high heavens for help that can only come through our joint efforts from the ballot boxes! Right now there is general awareness that we are not only neglected, marginalised, but also ignouminiously abandoned! But he that is down need fear no fall. The worse that can be, is that we stand from where we are or get extinguished. Our youths must rise up to the occasion and reject *Ego Orji* if we must change the narratives in the coming dispensation.
Political campaigns will be up sooner than later and some hopefuls are already in the fields testing the waters. My people, what is our position? This time around, we must be the determinants of whatsoever position we desire and not wait for the “Coconut to fall.”
I am not a politician but there is hardly anyone who do not know the direction he desires to go if asked.
His Excellency Governor Okowa has always told us that there is no money in Deltas coffers for any infrastructural development. Yes, he has proofs that is why the other day he asked the state assembly to approve a loan of over N4billion for certain development.
Yes it has been resolved and is soon to be too, that the much talked about Ibori loot is around the corner. Nothing will be more rewarding than for the Governor to assign a good sum of this funds to physical job creating enterprise in Ndokwa land to provide employment for our teaming youths. Nothing stops the government from ensuring that the Kwale Industrial Park takes the front seat thus ensuring that activities are accelerated to create openings for small scale industries, professional training in more fields than can be imagined.
For how long shall we cry like fatherless children in the rain? Our elders have tried to impact on us that leadership role they owe us but have met with brick walls. Needless to say now that we know better. I am joining the league of our informed persons to please put out pains behind and come together to heal our wounds. The saying remains that “an elder cannot be at home and a goat gives birth in the house.” We must all be involved in damage control to let us come out stronger from now on.
Finally the Devils Workshop Is The Idle Mind. Even an obedient horse or dog remains unpredictable in face of unavoidable anger. A stitch in time saves nine so goes the saying. A word is enough for the wise.
Mike AKPATI, 0803 675 7067
