The Niger Delta Progressives Alliance (NDPA) has thrown its weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid while calling for an increase in the oil derivation allocation to producing states from 13 per cent to 25 per cent.
The group made its position known on Saturday during a stakeholders’ gathering in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, organised under the theme, ‘Nigeria at 66: The Legacy of Bold Reforms’.
Discussions at the meeting also centred on an assessment of the Tinubu administration’s three-year reform programme and its implications for sustainable development in the Niger Delta.
The alliance’s convener, Victor Udoh, argued that the current administration had recorded more tangible gains for the Niger Delta than other parts of the country within its first three years in office.
Udoh noted that oil exploration in the region had played a decisive role in Nigeria’s economic development and independence, yet host communities continued to grapple with the consequences of resource extraction without enjoying commensurate benefits.
“Two years before Nigeria’s independence, oil was struck in commercial quantities, and it became the driving force that took this country into independence,” he said.
He maintained that the region’s contribution to national revenue had not translated into adequate development for its people, stressing the need for a fairer distribution of the wealth generated from its natural resources.
The NDPA convener also urged stakeholders to abandon violent agitation in favour of dialogue and constructive negotiations, pointing to the efforts of governors in the South-South geopolitical zone to secure greater financial entitlements for oil-producing areas.
He recalled the legal battle over the offshore-onshore oil revenue controversy, noting that the governors challenged the Supreme Court’s position and obtained a reversal that paved the way for the existing 13 per cent derivation arrangement.
Udoh further identified the creation of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as a significant intervention aimed at addressing the region’s persistent infrastructure and development challenges.
In his remarks, the National Coordinator of the Niger Delta Youth Council Worldwide, Jator Abido, called for decisive leadership and difficult policy choices to tackle Nigeria’s longstanding economic and governance problems.
“At 66, Nigeria is no longer a young nation making excuses. We are a mature nation that must make bold choices,” he said.
Abido described the removal of the petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market under Tinubu as tough but necessary measures intended to correct structural weaknesses in the economy.
While acknowledging that the policies had fuelled inflation and placed additional pressure on households and businesses in cities such as Port Harcourt, Warri and Yenagoa, he argued that the reforms had also helped rebuild investor confidence and reduce economic losses.
He added that increased federal allocations to states, including those in the Niger Delta, had risen by more than 60 per cent, providing additional resources for governance and development.
On the oil sector, Abido said crude production had climbed from approximately 1.4 million barrels per day to around 1.8 million barrels per day, attributing the improvement to cooperation between security agencies and private security companies.
He also welcomed the establishment of the Presidential Committee on Ogoni Consultations and the reconstitution of the relevant board, expressing hope that the measures would speed up the long-awaited Ogoni clean-up exercise.
Meanwhile, Lucky Micheal, President of the Bayelsa State chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), praised the Tinubu administration for introducing the student loan scheme.
Micheal urged students across the country to support the President’s return to office, arguing that the initiative could widen access to educational opportunities for young Nigerians.
Another stakeholder, Chief Ubong Akpan, equally commended the administration’s interventions in the Niger Delta and called on Nigerians to give Tinubu another term to consolidate and complete his ongoing programmes.
