Former President Goodluck Jonathan has attributed the long-standing underdevelopment of the Niger Delta to years of poor leadership, weak political will, and the consistent failure to execute existing regional development plans.
Jonathan made this known on Friday in Abuja at the launch of “The Hidden Treasures,” a 202-page book authored by former Delta governorship aspirant Chris Iyovwaye.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe, the former President, who chaired the event, highlighted several regional economic initiatives that had been abandoned. He said political rivalry and endless power struggles had repeatedly hindered meaningful progress.
“A lot has been said in the past and even now. However, when you don’t take action, it will remain potential. Deep inside here, we can have tonnes of gold, diamonds, and uranium. But it will remain zero until they are mined and brought out. This book corroborates what we have heard,” he said.
He reflected on earlier efforts to unite South-South governors and federal lawmakers to drive regional development but noted that individual political ambitions consistently overshadowed collective goals.
“In the past, when I was a deputy governor between 1999 and 2007, we had this same great commission. We used to have meetings of South-South governors. At one point, it was enlarged to include members of the National Assembly and initiatives held from state to state.
“But action could not be taken because of competition for power and control of that commission. At one point, everybody in the Niger Delta wanted to be the vice president to an unknown president.
“That was because Obasanjo was president from the South, and the next president was going to come from the North. But nobody knew who he would be. So, everybody started scrambling to become the vice president to whoever is coming,” he added.
