The Role And Impact Of DESOPADEC Projects On The Oil Bearing Communities In Delta State

A PAPER PRESENTATION BY OLOROGUN DR. EBENEZER OKORODUDU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PROJECTS, DELTA STATE OIL PRODUCING AREAS DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION, DESOPADEC AT THE 10^TH EDITION OF THE FEDERATED UNION OF COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS NIGERIA HELD ON THE 29^TH OF APRIL, 2025 AT THE SENIOR CIVIL SERVICE AUDITORIUM COMPLEX, MARIAM BABANGIDA WAY, ASABA, DELTA STATE.

Protocol

PREAMBLE

It is indeed with great delight that I stand on behalf of my Commission and the Board to make this presentation that intends to throw more light on the very essence and statutory engagements of a special agency of the Delta State Government known as the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC.

No doubt, in the school of development, purpose and outcome are key components and I consider this occasion trite to avail this informed audience with a full dose of what we as a Commission have been enabled to do for the oil-bearing communities of Delta State since its establishment more than a decade ago.

ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COMMISSION

Via the enactment of an enabling law by the Delta State House of Assembly in 2007 and duly signed by erstwhile Governor, His Excellency, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) was birthed into full bloom with well defined mission and objectives of bringing development to the oil-producing areas of the State that have suffered glaring neglect and ecological damage due to years of oil exploration.

PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION

The vision of the Commission is “To remain a truly people-based interventionist agency dedicated to ensuring peace, security, abundance, better life and sustainable economic development in the oil-producing areas of the State.”

Our mission is “To put smiles on the faces of the people of the host oil and gas producing communities through massive infrastructural and human capital development.”

These are the terms of our mandate:

By the express provisions in the Law establishing the Commission, DESOPADEC is mandated to administer 50% of the 13% derivation oil revenue from the federation account vide S.162 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1991 as amended) accruing to the State for the purpose of:

1. Developing the oil-producing areas of the State;
2. Intervening in key sectors in the mandate areas;

• Responding to special needs of the people;

1. Enhancing the capacity of women and youth in the mandate areas through the provision of skill acquisition centres and subsequent training to make them gainfully occupied;
2. Maintaining and sustaining the peace and security of the area through people-based initiatives;
3. Liaising with local and global development partners for sustainable development in the mandate area, and;

• Driving overall socio-economic and infrastructural development in line with the vision of the State government at all times.

BOARDS AND TENURE SINCE ESTABLISHMENT

Since its establishment in 2007, there have been five (5) duly constituted Management teams or Boards as they are known every three years by the various administrations at the State level.

Below is a quick glance:

1. Pioneer Board led by Chief Wellington Okirika as Executive Chairman (2007-2010) under former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration.
2. Interim Management Committee (IMC), on transitional and Adhoc executive mandate comprising Permanent Secretaries led by Mr. Reginald Bayoko (immediate past Head of Service of the State) (2010-2011) under former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration.
3. 2^nd Board led by Mr. Oritsuwa Bemigho Kpogho as Executive Chairman (2011-2015) under former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration.
4. 3^rd Board led by Olorogun Williams Makinde as Managing Director/CEO (2015-2019) under former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration.
5. 4^th Board led by Bashorun Askia Samuel Ogieh as Managing Director/CEO (2019-2023) under former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration.
6. 5^th and current Board led by Chief Festus M. Ochonogor as Managing Director/CEO (2023- date) under incumbent Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration.

AREAS COVERED BY THE COMMISSION (aka MANDATE AREA)

The term ‘mandate area’ is unique to the Commission in defining its sphere of intervention within the State. In this case, it refers exclusively to the oil-bearing and impacted territory or axis of the State.

As a well endowed State in oil and gas resources in its underbelly, more than two-thirds of the council areas  or 21 out of the 25 gazetted and delineated Local Government Areas  of the State fit into the mandate area jurisdiction, including Warri North, Warri South West, Warri South, Burutu, Bomadi, Patani, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Ethiope West, Ethiope East, Okpe, Sapele, Udu, Uvwie, Isoko North, Isoko South, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Ukwuani, Ika South and Ika North East respectively.

These council areas provide the Commission its engagement template as it works in synergy with the respective helmsmen to intervene and actualize its numerous policies.

MODE OF SELECTION OF PROJECTS

By the provisions in the Law establishing the Commission, there is an executive directive at the inauguration of every Board to always prioritize the engagement of the indigenes and major stakeholders, including traditional rulers, community leaders, chieftains, professional bodies, women, youth, physically challenged and the vibrant fourth estate of the realm, the media at well organized town halls within each ethnic nationality.

The purpose of these engagements is to interact, interface, get feedback and firsthand information on their most pressing needs, and be they physical infrastructure or human capital empowerment.

At the end of the engagements and interactions, views, suggestions, recommendations, positions and positions are aggregated by management in designing a workable, measurable and achievable policy that is eventually implemented within an approved budget by the executive and legislative arms of government.

The point here is that projects are not arbitrarily imposed on any community in the mandate area without necessarily undergoing needs assessment. This is to allow the benefitting community own the project, protect and maintain it during its duration.

Besides, the respective Ethnic Representatives on the Board who are the drivers of the process at the grassroots have always committed to actualizing the development agenda in line with the bigger M.O.R.E engagement of His Excellency the Governor.

BUDGETING VIS-A-VIS PRODUCTION QUANTUM

Being a demand-driven, needs-assessment and people-engaged agency of government, the Commission, from onset, have been guided strictly by agreed oil production quantum sharing formula amongst its various ethnic nationalities.

This formula which was sourced from the former Department of Petroleum Resources, now known as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, is based on the quantum of oil produced by each ethnic nationality that constitutes the Commission. These include: Itsekiri – 29%; Ijaw – 27%; Urhobo – 21%; Isoko – 14%; Ndokwa – 9%. However, Ika Nation was also included amongst the Commission’s mandate areas without any known % quantum production. This, obviously, is in line with fostering mutual peace, security and unfettered progress by all stakeholders.

The Commission therefore has a template for designing its budget and allocating its resources and projects to each ethnic extraction without prejudice to certain projects that inure in favour of two or more ethnic nationalities, all of which is essentially tailored at activating the overall development agenda of the current administration at the State level.

TYPES OF PROJECTS BEING EXECUTED BY THE COMMISSION

Without any iota of dissimulation, the Commission since its establishment has etched its name in the heart of the indigenes and oil-bearing communities through a wide range of highly impactful projects, initiatives, interventions and engagements. It is one aspect that speaks volume of the level of interaction with the real beneficiaries of the tens of hundreds of well-intentioned projects and human capital development.

Certainly, this space is far inadequate to detail the numerous interventions of the Commission. Which is why, at the determination of the tenure of each Board, the Department of Media and Public Affairs goes the whole hog to package a compendium of projects and interventions by the exiting Board for posterity and appraisal by its employer – the government. It is a stewardship scorecard of all the major activities that occupy members of the management team for that tenure.

But suffice it to say that the Commission has made lots of inroad in its statutory intervention strides on the known sectors that include education, housing, health, power, transportation, social and community development, water, human capital development, etc.

It is a known fact that our projects dot the landscape of the mandate areas spread across the twenty-one council areas, both at the upland topography and riverine axis.

Across core oil-producing communities at the riverine axis like Ugborodo, Ogidigben, Bateren, Deghele, Koko, Ogheye, Ugbege, Oboghoro/Utonlila, Abighorodo, Uba Egbelemeji, Obodo, Omadino, Orere Uluba, Ode Itsekiri, Ugbodede, Ubeji, Ifiekporo, Ajaetan, Ugbuwangue, Ogulagha, Obotebe I and II, Patani, Bomadi, Burutu, Ogbe Ijoh, Izansa, Naifor Island, Odimodi, Sokebolou, Okibou Zion, Okerenkoko, Benikrukru, Oporoza, Kurutie, Kokodiagbene, Youbebe, Tsekelewu, Ogbudugbudu to upland areas like Warri/Effurun metropolis, Oghara, Jesse, Sapele, Orerokpe, Otor Udu, Orogun, Mosogar, Ughelli, Samagidi, Ofuoma, Uvwiamuge, Osubi, Kokori, Uzere, Oleh, Ozoro, Irri, Oyede, Emede, Olomoro, Igbide, Otor Owhe, Bethel Zion, Owhelogbo, Owholomu, Ebedei, Utagba uno, Kwale, Aboh, Oliogor Umuseti, Etua, Okpai, Ogume, Ashaka, Owa Alero, Alidinma and Agbor, our signature projects have significantly changed the narrative, altered the hitherto forlorn state and brought remarkable improvement on the socioeconomic life of the people. In this we are humbled and further energized to continue on the upward swing to deliver on our mandate for the good of mankind.

SPECIAL INTERVENTIONS

In addition to our full option resolve to deliver critical infrastructure to our target stakeholders, there is also a commitment to special and timely interventions where the Commission is called upon by the State government to provide succour in case of fire outbreak, flooding and natural disasters and such other engagements that call our humanity into question.

During the recent flooding, specifically in 2023 that affected the more than twenty (20) States of the federation, including ours and a large part of our mandate area, the Commission was fully invited to collaborate with the State government in providing temporary shelter with palliative measures. This we have demonstrated most responsively, responsibly and remarkably.

To demonstrate long term commitment, the Commission was in the trenches to embark on full scale mitigation, de-flooding and de-silting exercises within the twin cities of Warri and Effurun and other major towns and tributaries to prevent future flooding challenges. All these are inextricably tied to actualizing the M.O.R.E agenda of His Excellency the Governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.

During the period under review, the Commission provided medical equipment worth several millions of naira to the 257 primary health centres in the State, including cottage hospitals and clinics as evidence of the value the Commission places in the people within the oil-bearing mandate areas.

Another notable area where the Commission has made remarkable stride is in its human capital development initiative where a special purpose vocational vehicle known as the DESOPADEC Skills Academy was created as a non-formal medium of providing training to youth in several skills for a period of six (6) months with a well defined curriculum.

At the end of the scheme, successful trainees are then provided well resourced starter packs and a cash bailout of N200, 000.00. It is gratifying to say that since the scheme started in 2021, no less than 600 trainees have been churned out to make impact and become employers of labour themselves instead of being liabilities, as it were. With the programme now well modified to include identifying those who already have some skills but lack financial empowerment, the Commission has taken the initiative a notch higher by ensuring that our productive youth are supported to sustain the growth momentum of the State on the socioeconomic ladder.

SOME KEY PROJECTS EXECUTED IN THE PAST

As I said earlier on in this presentation, time and space will not allow me present a full bouquet of our interventions in all the sectors since the establishment of the Commission in 2007.

Notwithstanding, there are some key projects that have been executed to respond to the needs of our people and evenly spread across the mandate areas. They include:

1. Concrete Landing Jetty at Ugbege, Warri North LGA.
2. Concrete Landing Jetty at Kurutie, Warri South West LGA.

• Concrete Landing Jetty at Obotobo I, Burutu LGA.

1. Reinforced Pedestrian Bridge at Ogheye Dimigun, Warri North LGA.
2. Ofagbe-Ibrede Road linking Isoko and Ndokwa ethnic nationalities.
3. Water Board Road, Jesse, Ethiope West LGA.

• Remodeled Uzere Secondary School, Uzere, Isoko South LGA.
• Uzere Modern Market, Uzere, Isoko South LGA.

1. Comprehensive Health Centre, Okibou Zion, Burutu LGA.
2. Ogulagha Model Secondary School, Ogulagha, Burutu LGA.
3. Famous Oborevwori Road, Osubi, Okpe LGA.

• Ultramodern Corpers’ Lodge at Osubi, Okpe LGA.
• 40-000 solar-powered water scheme at Obodo, Warri South LGA.
• 20,000 solar-powered water scheme at Ebedei, Ukwuani LGA.

1. Divisional Police Post at Ashaka, Ndokwa East LGA.

• Principal’s Lodge at Aboh, Ndokwa East LGA.
• Ultramodern Civic Centres, Uzere and Oyede, Isoko nation.
• 4 km Obi Ayinma-Abavo Road, Ika South LGA.
• Emevor Bye-pass (Phase 1), Isoko North LGA.

1. Constructed Cottage Hospital, Oboghoro, Warri North LGA

• Constructed Cottage Hospital, Agoloma, Patani LGA.
• Supply and distribution of medical facilities, equipment and consumables to all Primary health Care Centres across Delta State (a special intervention initiative)
• Constructed and donated twin blocks of 4 Unit, 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalow to the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Warri South West LGA.
• Constructed and donated Lecturers’ Quarters and Students’ Hostel to the Delta State University, Oleh Campus, Isoko South LGA.
• Constructed ultramodern National Town Hall, Ogume, Ndokwa West LGA
• Constructed ultramodern ICT Centre at Irri, Isoko South LGA.
• Constructed and furnished Block of six (6) classrooms at Okolor Inland Primary School, Udu LGA.
• Constructed and furnished Block of six (6) classrooms at Emonu Primary School, Samagidi, Ughelli North LGA.
• Constructed and furnished Modern Town Hall at Obodo, Warri South LGA.
• Donation of brand new 18-seater air-conditioned Toyota Hi-Ace School Bus to Sokebolou Secondary School, Sokebolou, Burutu LGA, amongst a litany of other well delivered projects.

SOME COMPLETED PROJECTS READY FOR COMMISSIONING

8. Construction of 4km Abavo Obi-Anyima road, Ika South LGA
9. Construction of 4km Ofagbe Ibrede road, Ndokwa East/Isoko North LGA

• Construction of Atiwo Jesse road, Ethiope West LGA

1. Construction of Efemeni road Jesse, Ethiope West
2. Construction of Eriakevwe street Jesse, Ethiope West LGA
3. Construction of Asupa road, Jesse, Ethiope West LGA

• Construction of Ovie/Agbroko road, Jesse, Ethiope West LGA
• Construction of Etakpobhunor road, Sapele, Sapele LGA

1. Construction of Carpricorn road, Amukpe, Sapele LGA
2. Construction of Izu/Awanaghara road, Sapele, Sapele LGA
3. Construction of Onosode Drive, Ughelli,Ughelli North LGA

• Construction of Ogbe Inotu street, Ogume, Ndokwa West LGA
• Construction of Monday Asiaka road, Sapele, Sapele LGA
• Construction of Evwreni internal road, Ughelli North LGA

1. Construction of Griftson Omatsuli street, Ubguwangue, Warri South LGA

• Construction of Daniel Mayuku road, Ugbolokposo, Uvwie LGA
• Construction of Concrete Walkway at Olobe, Bobi and Orubu, Warri South West LGA
• Drainage control and landscaping of Skill Acquisition Center Umutu, Ukwani LGA
• Construction of concrete landing jetty at Obotebe I

1. Construction of concrete landing jetty with two side walkway at Krutie Market, Warri South West.

• Construction of concrete landing jetty at Eghoro, Warri North LGA
• Construction of Ubeji Modern Market, Ubeji, Warri South LGA
• Construction of Modern Police Station, Aboh, Ndokwa East LGA
• Reconstruction and expansion of Comprehensive Health Center, Utagba Uno, Ndokwa West LGA
• Renovation of Six (6) classroom block at Okolor Ururhie Primary School, Okolor Ururhie, Udu LGA
• Renovation of Seven (7) Classroom block at Emeni Primary School, Obiaruku, Ukwuani LGA.
• Renovation of Six (6) Classroom block at Iyede Comprehensive High School, Iyede, Isoko South LGA.
• Solar Powered Water Scheme at Ogume, Ndokwa West LGA
• Solar Powered Street Light at Elume, Sapele LGA
• Solar Powered Street Light at Obi-Anyima, Ika South LGA.
• Solar Powered Street Light at Owa Alidinma, Ika South LGA.
• Solar Powered Street Light at Oghara Iyede, Isoko South LGA.

 Refer to the appendix for a comprehensive list of completed and ongoing projects being embarked upon by the current Board.

IMPACT OF PROJECTS ON MANDATE COMMUNITIES

As the Commission continues to give itself fully to impacting lives in the mandate areas, so also have been the positive, detached and altruistic reactions by stakeholders to encourage it to keep doing more.

Our projects are our greatest advertisement that resonates beyond our local landscape.

During the inspection of the 8.4km Abavo Obi-Ayinma Road on the 21^st of February, 2021, HRM, Obi Emmanuel Efeizomor, the Obi of Owa Kingdom had this to say: “I commend the DESOPADEC management team for the initiative to uplift the lives of the people thereby giving them a new sense of purpose to empower them and reconfigure the State as an investor-friendly one.”

At the commissioning and handover of a purpose built ultramodern facility to the Nigerian Police Force at Ashaka on May, 2021, this was what the Commissioner of Police, Delta State (as at then was), Mr. Ari Mohammed Ali said: “The timely intervention of the management of DESOPADEC in building a spacious and befitting facility for the administration and operation of the Division will certainly enable the police personnel work in a more friendly and accommodating police station that will give them and the visitors a sense of belonging. By this gesture, the management of DESOPADEC has indeed demonstrated its commitment in partnering with the Command to foster good relationship and strengthen the community policing strategy of the Inspector-General of Police.”

These are just tips of soothing and encouraging comments enjoyed by the Commission over the years for staying faithful and fully committed to its statutory assignment.

It is this same tonic that continues to inspire us as the current management team poised to actualize the M.O.R.E agenda of His Excellency the Governor of our dear State.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, DESOPADEC’s project executions have had a profound and positive impact on the implementation of Governor Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E Agenda in Delta State. By focusing on key areas such as infrastructure, healthcare, education, youth empowerment, and economic opportunities, DESOPADEC has significantly contributed to the development of the oil-producing areas, thereby improving the lives of Deltans.

The synergy between DESOPADEC’s projects and the M.O.R.E Agenda is clear: both aims to reduce poverty, foster sustainable development, and ensure that the benefits of Delta State’s oil wealth are distributed equitably across all its communities. As Governor Oborevwori continues to implement his vision for the state, the work of DESOPADEC will remain a cornerstone in the realization of the meaningful progress and prosperity envisioned for Delta State.

I thank you for your time.

OLOROGUN EBENEZER OKORODUDU JP, PhD

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PROJECT

DESOPADEC.