Former President Goodluck Jonathan has blamed the persistent underdevelopment of the Niger Delta on decades of poor leadership, weak political will, and failure to act on long-standing regional plans.

Jonathan said this on Friday in Abuja during the official launch of ‘The Hidden Treasures,’ a 202-page book written by former Delta governorship aspirant Chris Iyovwaye.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe, the former President who chaired the event recalled several abandoned regional economic initiatives, noting that political rivalry and the scramble for power had repeatedly stalled progress.

“A lot has been said in the past and even now. But when you don’t bring action to it, 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.

The ex-president also traced past attempts to coordinate South-South governors and federal lawmakers on regional development, but said personal ambition overshadowed collective interest.

“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.