Festus Ahon
16 August 2012, Sweetcrude, UGHELLI— COALITION of Coastal/Swampy Oil Producing Communities of Bayelsa and Delta states has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to address alleged marginalisation of their communities.
The group, in a statement by its leader, Chief Lambert Odudu and others, vowed to stop operations of oil companies in their areas if their demands were not meant within 14 days.
They claimed that they had not benefited from NDDC despite the fact that the total crude oil production capacity of the communities is 668,000 barrels per day, which is about one-third of the total crude oil produced in Nigeria daily.
The people alleged that the purpose for which NDDC was established had been defeated, alleging that the current board has no clear cut policy for the development of the area.
They called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly to prevail on NDDC to cause their communities to be surveyed in conjunction with the accredited representatives of their group to ascertain, measures which were necessary to promote its physical and socio-economic development, pursuant to NDDC Act.
