By Femi Mustapha, in Kaduna Kaduna
A new policy paper has accused Nigeria’s political and institutional leaders of failing to transform decades of oil wealth from the Niger Delta into basic infrastructure, leaving communities with broken roads, pollution, and what it describes as an “unofficial tax” on citizens.
The paper, titled “Oil Wealth, Broken Roads: The Niger Delta’s Crisis of Accountability” and released in Kaduna, was authored by Erhisohwode Assurance Ovie, ICT Officer at ANEEJ and a postgraduate student at the University of Mannheim, Germany.
“For decades, oil and gas extracted from the region have supported public revenue, foreign exchange earnings, and national growth. Yet many communities still face failed yards, unreliable electricity, polluted land and water, and inadequate public services,” Ovie said.
He argued that the problem is not the absence of institutions, but the lack of results. Despite years of spending, he said, development outcomes have not matched the region’s contribution to the federation.
The deteriorating Benin-Asaba corridor was cited as an example. The route linking Edo and Delta states to southern and eastern Nigeria should facilitate trade and movement, but its poor state has raised costs. Still, it results in damaged vehicles, delayed shipments, and increased accident and security risks.
“Patients may arrive late; hospitals and workers lose valuable hours, perishable goods spoil, and transport operators pass repair and delay costs onto passengers. These losses act as a special tax on citizens, not through law but through neglected infrastructure,” Ovie stated.
Citing World Bank data, he noted that about 80 percent of Nigeria’s road network was in poor condition in 2024. The Bank approved $500 million in concessional financing, with $100 million from the government, for rural and climate-resilient roads. The Niger Delta, he said, is especially vulnerable because it hosts oil facilities, seaports, farms, and interstate corridors that are vital to the economy.
On institutions, the paper acknowledged the Niger Delta Development Commission and state oil-producing-area commissions but questioned their impact. The NDDC portal lists about 6,939 road and bridge interventions.
“That figure should prompt an outcome-based audit: how many projects were completed to specification, remain functional, were abandoned, or delivered value to host communities? Counting is not the same as measuring development,” Ovie said.
He pointed to the available resources, noting the NDDC’s proposed 2024 budget of about ₦1.911 trillion, including ₦324 billion in federal transfers, ₦375 billion from oil companies, ₦25 billion from the Ecological Fund, and ₦1 trillion from banks. The plan also targeted over 200 kilometers of roads.
“The real policy test is whether funds are allocated transparently, coordinated across agencies, and turned into safe, durable public assets rather than just announcements and recurring rehabilitation,” he said.
Ovie blamed institutional fragmentation, with responsibility split among the Federal Ministry of Works, NDDC, states, and local governments. Without a shared project register, agencies duplicate efforts while strategic roads fall into disrepair. It fell into disrepair because preventive maintenance is ignored, and new projects attract more political attention.
The paper also criticized the region’s elite. “Too many influential actors have allowed party rivalry, personal ambition, patronage, and access to public contracts to take precedence over a common regional development agenda,” Ovie wrote. He called for an “elite compact anchored in public interest” to agree on priorities and be judged by verified outcomes.
On the proposed concession of the Benin-Asaba Expressway, Ovie said concessions are not wrong but must be transparent. He demanded disclosure of cost, financing, ownership, and tolling, warning that asking commuters to pay tolls after subsidy removal risks a double burden.
“the niger delta does not lack institutions, resources, or capable citizens. it lacks a coordinated and transparent system that converts those assets into measurable outcomes,” he concluded. “its people are not asking for charity; they are asking for fairness, environmental justice, and accountable stewardship.”
