YENAGOA – Technical Adviser on Communication to the Bayelsa State Governor, Don-Evarada Abednego, has decried what he described as the neglect of the Niger Delta despite being Nigeria’s economic mainstay.
Speaking on The Morning Brief, Abednego lamented that the region still suffers poverty, insecurity, and environmental degradation, despite billions of dollars generated from its oil resources.
“Virtually everything I’m seeing in Abuja, Lagos, or Kano is a product of what comes from the Niger Delta. But what do we have in return? So much poverty and health challenges,” he said.
He lamented the collapse of agriculture and fishing in the area, blaming frustration over the use of the region’s wealth to develop other parts of the country.
Abednego said interventions like the Niger Delta Development Commission and South-South Development Commission must work together to improve living standards, warning of dire consequences if agitation escalates.
He raised alarm over a cancer epidemic in the coastal areas, claiming “there isn’t an individual who does not have any traces of cancer on the skin or internally.”
According to him, without a safer Niger Delta, the Federal Government’s crude oil production targets and related development plans will remain unattainable.
“Our people live on creeks and rivers. The money is meant to build roads, bridges, hospitals, and schools,” he said, stressing that security spending often drains resources without addressing core needs.
