A big warning has gone out in the oil region, hinting of a storm that may be gathering over the two years delay in kick-off of Project HOPE, a scheme by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to rescue youths of the region through jobs and creative activities and Agriculture.
The scheme is wound around President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda of lifting Nigerians out of misery into new hope.
Now, the consultants and contacts selling ‘Project HOPE’ to the region and the youths say they have become angry due to endless postponements of kick-off time. They have started dubbing the project a ‘ponzi scheme’.
A faction has broken off to start implementing some aspects of the scheme on their own saying their reputations and faces were at stake.
According to Blessing Fubara, the Resource Consultant to the NDDC on Project HOPE, who said he is the face of the project to the youths of the region and the person that designed the project, there is a strong need to come clean on the project and reveal things to the people.
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He said at a media parley in Port Harcourt Tuesday, February 18, 2025, that the scheme launched in 2023 has by February 2025, not started, saying people have started asking questions. He said the scheme was started with huge enthusiasm and energy, only for the youths to be wondering what has gone wrong.
He went on: “As an indigenous company and youth of the region, I have responsibility to answer some of the questions. As the creative director, I have a responsibility for my corporate identity on what we told the people out there. Many questions are being asked why there has been no proper implementation despite many launchings.
“I think the NDDC still means well for the people but my personal and corporate identity is at stake. While we continue with negotiations, owing to the level of agitations which are beginning to affect the peace of the region, we are worried not to go back to the dark days of doubt.”
He further said his firm and some other sponsors want to take up some tasks as their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the oil region and to the people they have made commitments to while waiting for wholistic implementation by the NDDC. “We will now render as CSR some of the aspects of the ‘Project Hope’ that we can afford to fund.
“This is as an indigenous company. We are now to design another platform for re-submission of forms for the Niger Delta Art and Music Project.
“Auditions will start from February 28, 2025. A database was opened. Employments are to be announced on February 28, 2025 for 18 positions. This is a mere CSR attempt. We hope that whatever is holding this up will be sorted out by the NDDC.”
Backing the move, Alfred Etimi, another resource person to ‘Project Hope’ who said he was a personal assistant (PA) to the former director of youth in NDDC explained his commendations to Samuel Ogbuku, CEO of the NDDC in 2024 only to come out now to denounce the NDDC. He said if occasion warranted commendation, he would, because one is either said or happy. “If you do something that requires us to call you out, we will. We believe in the MD’s vision and ideas. He came from the street. We believe that having somebody like that would take us to the height we wanted, but you know in the Niger Delta, everything is politicised.
“When Project Hope came up, which is his pet project in line with Mr President’s agenda, we saw his passion. Now, we ask, what could have caused ‘Project Hope’ not to have kicked off?
“We think the answers are there. We want to applaud the lead consultant for taking it up himself to run with the scheme on a personal note. We have been asking him why. Today, he has chosen to toe the path of the people, the path of peace. What would have happened is for us to fall back to the old ways of agitation and other things. We commend him for the bold step of picking some of the projects to execute while waiting for the NDDC.
“At this point, we appeal to the youths and their conscience to be patient with the Lead Consultant and to an extent to the NDDC because of too much bureaucracy and politics. The MD still has the passion and the vision but when politics is involved, you begin to see abnormalities.”
Giving details, the consultants said the provision in ‘Project Hope’ was N250m to winners of the music and art project but that without the NDDC, they would only do auditioning, pick the best, train them, and market their products, while still expecting the NDDC to come in.
Speaking, Green Isaac, the Executive Director, Relief International Africa, said they were committed to the youths of the region. “We are here to assure them of our commitment. This does not any way mean we have gone out of the agreed template that we signed with the NDDC, but for the questions that we do not have answers to, for the agitations that have got to us about our corporate integrity and intentions. We have decided to do this bit and take steps hoping that the youths and people of the region will see and join us to ensure we have a fulfilled region as considered and thought by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and of course progressive youths anywhere in the world.
He went on: “For us, it is quite becoming. The NDDC is becoming a ponzi scheme. We are not at home with it. The NDDC has promised a whole lot of things to the youths of the Niger Delta but nothing has come to stay. Right now, there is much agitation in the land.
“Last two years, many promises were made such as Project Hope. Up to now, its still very far. It looks like this hope will not come in due time. People are agitating. The managers of the NDDC think they can use the resources of the region to benefit themselves, their friends, family, and cronies. It’s unacceptable. That is something we are frowning at.
“As youths who are the future of the region, we think the time has come for this to come to an end. Yes, they have held meetings with the youths but we are not against the MD but against the delay in ‘Project Hope’ and rumours of people being settled from the back. This is over one year and nothing is happening.
“We have decided to take the bull by the horn to say that if those who promised to do something have failed to do so, we have to face it. The road will not accommodate both of us anymore. We know them, we know their houses. This is not a threat, but karma is a bitch.”
There was some fuse in the region two weeks back that the top management of the NDDC was having difficulty with an influential minister from the region said to be cornering all powers to himself. It was rumoured that the NDDC CEO tried to find a way to outsmart the minister and that the effort back fired, leading to infighting in the place. The NDDC came out denying that such scenario existed.
It is not clear, however, if this outcry about ‘Project Hope’ being delayed is another strategy to reveal to the people of the region and to the presidency what actually may be happening in the Commission.
Inquiries directed to the media managers at the NDDC did not get any response at the time of filing this report.
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Green Isaac addressing the press
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