- WTO DG said NDDC must go beyond infrastructure to drive real economic change across Niger Delta communities.
- Okonjo-Iweala noted frustration in region caused by years of neglect despite being rich in oil and gas resources.
The director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to develop lasting economic solutions for the Niger Delta.
She made the call on Saturday during the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NDDC.
The oil-rich region has suffered environmental degradation and socio-economic neglect for decades due to crude oil exploration.
Okonjo-Iweala warned that continued frustration in the region, stemming from underdevelopment, has triggered youth restiveness.
She said the NDDC must prioritise sustainable economic growth and not only focus on physical infrastructure.
“Let me first congratulate the NDDC for the work it has carried out for the people of the Niger Delta,” she said.
“If I’m a bit critical in my speech, you know me, I mean it for good, because I think you have done a lot, but you still have a lot to do,” she added.
She recalled that the commission was created in 2000 by the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, to replace the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission.
“The NDDC was established in 2000 by former president Obasanjo, as a successor to OMPADEC, which had been in operation since the days of the military government.
“This was in response to the cries of marginalisation and underdevelopment by the people of the Niger Delta, where Nigeria’s oil and gas resources are concentrated.”
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