C’River Still Oil Producing State – NDDC

The Commissioner representing Cross River in the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Dominic Aquah-Edem says the commission still
recognises the state as an oil producing state.

Aquah-Edem, in an interview with our correspondent in
Calabar, noted that the NDDC Statutes recognised Cross River as an integral
part of the commission.

“The NDDC is a statutory body established by law and as far
as Cross River is concerned, the law has not been amended to remove Cross River
as a member of the oil producing states.

“Since the loss of oil wells or the ceding of Bakassi, the
state has not been receiving any kobo from derivation. However in 2011, the
state’s oil production quota improved to 1.04 per cent.

“The 76 oil wells are off-shore, but there is this belief
that there are still on-shore component that is within the state.

‘’ And this accounted for the improvement in the oil
production percentage that was allocated to the state.

“Everything in NDDC is based on oil production quota and
that is what we use in awarding contracts to member states.

“Unless there is a new production figure stating that Cross
River has been removed, the state remains a member of the oil producing
states.’

The commissioner said that over the years, the commission
had awarded a lot of roads contracts to the state.

He said that the roads were scattered in almost all the
local government areas of the state, adding that work was in progress as the
contractors had been mobilised.

“As I am talking to you, there are so many ongoing road
projects in the state such as the Ikoneto, Biakpan and Assaga roads. Others
include the Ekuni/Abawan, Ikot Eyo, and Mbok roads respectively.”

Aquah-Edem further said that the NDDC had ongoing projects
at the University of Calabar and the state-owned University of Technology
amounting to billions of naira.