Former Akwa Ibom State Governor Victor Attah has berated the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the ‘’underdevelopment of the region.’’
Attah, who spoke yesterday in Uyo, the state capital, at the meeting of elders and opinion leaders of the Southsouth, organised by the Southsouth Consolidated Forum (SFC), said the commission impoverished the region by embarking on projects that had no direct impact on the people.
The former governor said NDDC’s provision of school furniture, electric transformers and boreholes were not activities that would change fortunes of the region.
He urged Niger Delta residents not to blame only the Federal Government for the lack of development in the region, adding that Southsouth governors should also be held responsible.
Attah said: “We like to blame the Federal Government for the problems of the Southsouth when, in actual fact, we have not got a fair deal from our governors.
“What have the governors done with the 13 per cent derivation for the Southsouth over the years?”
The former governor said the region’s grievances would be better channelled if the various groups in the zone spoke with one voice.
He added that if the region’s residents could unite and speak with one voice, the cries in the Southsouth would attract more attention for the solution they deserved.