The Niger Delta Development Commission has called on residents of Ondo State to safeguard the commission’s projects located in their communities against vandalism.
The commission lamented that many of its completed projects have either been stolen or vandalised by unscrupulous members of host communities.
The Executive Director, Corporate Services of the NDDC, Mr Ifedayo Abegunde, stated this at a one-day capacity-building engagement programme for stakeholders held in Okitipupa town, Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state, on Wednesday.
Abegunde, who was represented at the event by the state director of the commission, Mr Kunle Karaki, emphasised that vandalism, theft, neglect and destruction of public assets undermine development efforts and slow progress in critical sectors such as electricity, roads and other basic amenities meant to improve the well-being of the Niger Delta region.
He said, “Regrettably, we have observed instances where vandalism, theft, neglect and insufficient community engagement have compromised valuable assets intended to improve collective well-being. Such setbacks not only delay progress but also diminish the returns on resources committed for the benefit of our people.
“Any NDDC project that is commissioned, everybody believes that the project is a government project. Who is the government? You are the owners and the government in that community. You are the eyes of NDDC in that community. We have recorded a lot of incidents where our projects have been vandalised in broad daylight by members of the community.
“Look at the one in Ilaje High School, Igbokoda. Three projects were brought down in the afternoon, and everyone was watching. It has been recorded, and the money has been credited to those projects, whether you like it or not, and you are part of it. There was a time, you will remember, in some communities, all of our solar systems were removed.”
Abegunde noted that the stakeholders’ meeting was imperative to deliberate on how to safeguard the commission’s projects in host communities. He urged residents to be more vigilant.
“We cannot fold our hands and allow this thing (vandalisation of projects) to continue. That is why NDDC has taken it upon itself to organise this type of town hall meeting so that we can open up our minds, make suggestions, and identify grey areas where we can do better.
“Where we are going now is to remind ourselves that these projects are ours. So when you see anybody wanting to vandalise NDDC projects, take it upon yourself to make the necessary calls so that, at the end of the day, you can even boast that in your community, NDDC has more projects,” he charged.
Dr Ajibola Shekoni of the Centre for Peace and Security Studies at Lagos State University, in a paper titled “Strengthening community ownership framework for sustainable NDDC project monitoring and protection against vandalism and theft,” attributed the issue of vandalism and theft of NDDC projects not only to security failures but also to sociological factors.
In the paper delivered by Mr Eniola Akinsola, a former Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Olusegun Mimiko, the don said local communities in the mandate area have continued to feel disconnected from the wealth produced on their ancestral lands.
“When communities are left out at the initial needs assessment and project design stages, they tend to view the infrastructure as government property instead of communal heritage. The absence of psychological ownership renders projects vulnerable to vandalism,” he noted.
In his remarks, the Director of Peace and Development Projects of the NDDC, Mr Francis Abayomi, urged stakeholders to shun the destruction of government projects.
