The oral polio vaccination exercise facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organizatiom just commenced. It was important that the devastating polio meningitis, one of the six killer diseases be eradicated in Nigeria and 100% coverage was targeted all over the states .
Armed with the zeal of mission and rendering much needed social service, the health workers stormed two schools, one a private highbrow Nursery /Primary School and the other a Government Primary School, barged into their premises and started immunizing the kids. Is that probable? What do you think will be the result of such indiscretion?
Second case scenario. You completed a block of flats and one multinational Telecom company let's call it, MUGAL, decides to assist in painting the flats. One morning you wake up and see painters invade the premises with the firm's colours painting your flats.
When you protested against the gate crashing, you are called unprintable names as being ungrateful and resisting development.
Folks, ' sad as it is that in our pettiness, we have politicised every issue under the sun, how plausible, expedient and right are the two actions above? It's an open truth that, but for the intensity of the collaboration of the State Governments in the North, the health officials assigned to immunise the people would have been lynched because of cultural and religious misgivings bandied about the exercise.
Come to think of it, even if you are in a vantage position to save an accident victim's life, and you must strip him naked to apply first aid, is it not courteous that you seek his consent to undress him/her?
Folks', that's how I view the outcry of the Akwa Ibom State Governor , Mr Udom Emmanuel about the operations of the Obong Nsima Ekere led Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in the State.
For those who are not aware of what I am making reference to, indulge Ame as I reproduce the news item on the governor's protestation.
"Worried by the spate of abandonment, poor execution, distortion and duplication of development projects undertaken by Federal government Agencies and Commissions , Akwa Ibom State Governor Mr Udom Emmanuel has called for collaboration between the Agencies and benefiting state governments in the execution of development projects to ensure quality service delivery. "
Then making direct reference to the NDDC, Governor Emmanuel explained, that, the trend is worrisome to the Governors of the benefiting states and that such collaboration has become expedient to harness development and ensure quality control in project execution.
Of the NDDC he said, "We in the Niger Delta are frowning at the way Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is distorting our development programmes.
In Akwa Ibom State for instance, we have over one hundred project interventions at various levels that have not been completed by NDDC. Some of them are 400m, 500m and very few are up to 5km of roads."
He further added, "They just execute the earth works with no drainage and the roads are not completed but leave untold hardship on the people.
So we are calling on the office of the Secretary to the Federal Government to prevail on the Federal Agencies and Commissions to sit with the state government and plan how to utilise the money in line with the development vision of each state "
He explained that the state government is maintaining Federal roads which have not been completed and mentioned the Abak - Ikot Abasi, Aba - Ikot Ekpene roads as well as transmission line between between Ikot Ekpene and Ikot Abasi Local Government Areas which have been abandoned for 6years and urged NDDC to complete the projects rather than distort the state government's development plan.
Then here is the clincher for which some critics are salivating, "We hear that NDDC is planning to open more roads, if they do that we would resist it because that would distort our development plan. We have a structure and systems that are running. Let them come under that structure so that we can anchor development together."
And I ask, what is damn wrong with asking for that collaboration?
Whereas we all want development. Whereas the NDDC has a task that is needful and must be done.
Whereas we have begun to see some spark in the NDDC of recent which is commendable after the years of the locust, it must be stated that, such interventions must not be done with impunity, in isolation of the state government and with duplication .
This is perhaps reason why, most of the NDDC contracts are poorly executed, or the contractors abandon them and abscond with the funds to the detriment of the supposed benefiting communities.
This narrative of making it look as if the NDDC is doing Akwa Ibom State a favour by interventions in the state is absolutely abhorrent to the sensibilities of well meaning people. If Akwa Ibom State does not deserve it as a right, which other state is more deserving of NDDC projects.
The simple requisition is, consult, collaborate and synergise with the relevant authorities and get a good job done. Is that asking too much? Why politicize such a common sense appeal?
Little wonder, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has equally expressed similar sentiment. He accordingly advised the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to stop being partisan and face its task of developing the South-south region.
Wike said this, when he received the Governing Board of the NDDC when they paid him a courtesy visit at Government House.
As reported by newsmen, "Wike criticised some actions of the NDDC that had political undertone, saying such had made the commission to lose focus and also condemned instances where NDDC acted as if it were a federating state.
In his words, “NDDC is not a state. Therefore, it should respect the laws of the states where it operates, NDDC cannot wake up and start projects without seeking the cooperation of the host states. Folks ', is this not commonsense? Apologies to Senator Ben Murray Bruce.
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