Human Rights Activist, Prince Kehinde Taiga, has called for the scrapping of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC). In a phone interview with Emerald News, Taiga said DESOPADEC has outlived its usefulness, saying the commission is an avenue where some people feed fat on 13 percent derivation.
Taiga, who is the public relations officer of OML34 NPDC western zone, told this online news portal that gone were the days when DESOPADEC was serving the development needs of oil producing communities but for the past few years, it has lost its essence.
He said: “I am the public relations officer of OML34 NPDC Western zone. We have been doing a lot of projects. We have renovated town halls, we have bought vehicles for community executives movement. We have bought vehicles for security in communities, we have done electricity extension.
“This we do with the little money that is paid to our pulse. N250m. N150m is being used for projects. We have done works more than DESOPADEC. DESOPADEC is not doing anything. I’m calling for the scrapping of the commission.
“I’m calling for every oil producing community to constitute its own committee. DESOPADEC is an avenue where some people are feeding fat. There is no tangible project done by the commission in any community for the past few years.
“The only projects you can lay your hands on were done in the early years of the commission. But since former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration till now, DESOPADEC has not done anything for any community.
“DESOPADEC is a disappointment to Delta state. It is contributing to under-development of oil producing communities in the state. So, I’m calling for the scrapping of DESOPADEC because it has outlived its usefulness.
“The 13 percent derivation is not being used for any community development. When the 13 percent comes, whatever is accrued to any community should be sent to the community leaders to develop their community by themselves.
“We have done a lot of projects at OML34. But DESOPADEC which is receiving billions of Naira is not doing anything. We are only seeing billions in papers but we don’t see the billions working for the people.
“As the money comes, it should be shared to the communities based on their oil production quota. We have category A, B and C. Let every community under DESOPADEC be classified in this order and shutdown DESOPADEC.”
