Friday, July 20, 2007

Nigeria Security Update #2 200707

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Cleric Being Held (The Sun News)

Detained for weeks over allegation of sponsoring MASSOB after being kidnapped by unknown gunmen

By Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka

The biblical injuction that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but that the Lord God delivers him from them all could be said to have manifested for an Nnewi motorcycle businessman, Pastor Pius Okwuchukwu Ogbuawa.

He was thrown into police cell and detained for more than one month on the allegation that he was sponsoring the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), to kidnap people in Anambra State between last January and April.

Incidentally, the cleric said he is innocent. Also, MASSOB has disowned him. Indeed, MASSOB headquarters said that the allegation against Ogbuawa, who is the chairman and Managing Director of P. O. Ogbuawa and Sons Nigeria Limited, Nnewi, was not only false, but also a calculated attempt by saboteurs of its struggle to liberate Igbo to dent the image of MASSOB and the businessman’s.

Genesis of the problem

According to Ogbuawa, who is who the pastor of the Church of Jesus Christ, Nnewi, the relative success he made in his new motorcycle spare parts and sale of complete units of new motorcycles earned him an object of hatred and envy.

He said, “there were several attempts to pirate and imitate our goods, but we resisted it vehemently with law suits for infringement of registered designs and colours at the Federal High Court, Enugu. We got judgment and our competitors bowed to our superior claims and consented to the judgment.
“But you see, in their determination to frustrate us out of business and liquidate us, they hatched another evil plan to cause me to be charged to court for treason, murder and armed robbery and you know all these are capital offences that would have remanded me indefinitely in prison custody and out of circulation and business.

“An opportunity came for them when, sometime in April, three workers of one of them were kidnapped by the same gang that earlier kidnapped me in January and when one of them was released, he told his master that he saw two of my company’s motorcycles, that is, my brand, in the hideout of the kidnappers. I was accused of supporting dissidents opposed to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, armed robbery, supporting bandits that rob with arms and murder.”

Arrests and detentions

This, according to the auto spare parts dealer, caused his arrested on April 11, 2007 by men of the Area Command Nnewi.

“When the men came, they told me that they had the instructions of the Area Commander to arrest me and bring me to him and that I would be sorry for myself if I resisted because they would shoot my two legs and cripple me. I, however, followed them voluntarily and on getting there, the commander seized my two handsets and questioned me over telephone calls I received, using my down-loaded call records from MTN. He was interested in two numbers which however, were numbers of my daughters.

“On my own, I innocently showed the Area Commander the numbers of the kidnappers for they had called me earlier in the month demanding more ransom from me. But my detractors went to town spreading false rumours that I compiled names of prominent people and gave to the kidnappers, including Igwe Orizu of Nnewi and from that April 11, I was detained at the dreaded SARS cell, Awkuzu for 21 days, in spite of the orders my lawyer got from the court for my release or arraignment. I was transferred to Zone 9 Umuahia, where I was detained for another 14 days until May 16, 2007 when the AIG Zone 9, interviewed me and directed that I be released on bail to report on May 21, 2007.

“But before the May 21 date, I was arrested again on the following May 17, 2007 by a team of policemen from Force CID Abuja, on this same matter. I was detained till June 12, 2007 when the DIG investigated me and others directed me to go home as he saw no merit in the allegations against me. He also gave me back my handsets seized by Nnewi Area Commander since April 11, 2007.

“It is important to tell you that before the intervention of Zone 9, the Anambra State CID Awka had prepared charges of murder, treason and armed robbery against me. So I thank God and the AIG Zone 9 who saved me from that.

Motorcycles at the kidnappers hide-out.

You will recall that on Sunday, January 28, I was in the church when a group of heavily armed robbers and kidnappers overpowered me and took me away to an unknown hideout after inflicting deep cuts on my head. I almost died but for God. I was released after three days, when my family members rallied round, raised and paid the N20 million ransom demanded for five motor cycles and generating sets which they said they would come to collect whenever they had the need, I agreed so as to save my life first.

“So in April, they phoned me and that day, I was not even in Nnewi, they demanded two of the agreed motorcycles. I phoned my manager to keep two motorcycles for the faceless kidnappers who had threatened to eliminate me and wipe my family if they were exposed and they later collected the motorcycles. That’s all I know about that.

MASSOB reaction

The MASSOB Deputy Director of Information, Mac David, berated those alleging that it was MASSOB that kidnapped people in the state, maintaining that the group was non-violent and had no deal whatsoever with Ogbuawa on any issue.

Mac David said: “I want to start by saying that these people or companies should stop forthwith pointing fingers on MASSOB member on any criminal activities that goes on within the state or neighbouring states. It is well known that MASSOB is a non-violent organization whose activities are focused on agitation of the independent state of Biafra. We have never been involved in any act of violence, be it kidnap, robbery a widely been alleged.

“Ogbuawa was once kidnapped by men who claimed to be Biafran soldiers and not MASSOB. The case of the two white men working with Innoson Group and his manager will not be far-fetched with the same people that kidnapped Ogbuawa. The issue of kidnap in Nigeria has always been said to be carried out by the Niger Delta militant groups, whose its hideout is alleged to be at Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, the same place both Ogbuawa and the white men were taken to.

“MASSOB vehemently disassociates itself from the allegation of being sponsored by Ogbuawa for anything, talk-less of kidnap. To the best of my knowledge and record of MASSOB, we have never had any discussion or deal with the Nnewi motorcycle businessman for anything whatsoever.

“Those who knew us know that MASSOB does not indulge in such evil things. And come to think of it, how can you say that a group fighting for independence of their people would indulge in kidnapping, abducting and maiming the same people they are fighting for? This is a clear handiwork of those sabotaging our struggle.

“While we wait for the outcome of our case at the Court of Appeal, Abuja we hope that the Nigeria government will not continue holding out leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike and 10 others with him, including our Director of Information, Comrade Uche Madu, having release the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force leader, Asari Dokubo.”


Armed Gangsters Terrorize Lagos (Daily Champion)

The memories of terror unleashed by a gang of robbers to the residents of Afariogun community in Oshodi area of Lagos recently will remain memorable on their minds.

The 30-man gang was said to have invaded the area in three buses at 1.00am on that day, going from one house to another and tormenting their prey, as it were. And before they took their leave after over four hours their operation lasted, four persons including an 85 years old Pa Ahmond Sulaiman were killed. The octogenarian it was gathered was in deep sleep when the robbers came into his compound and opened fire on him.


Others, who lost their lives in the incident were Desmond Uzoegbu, Raphael Udeh and and a student Oshodi Raphael.

The quartet were not only the victims. Many others were also inflicted with varying degrees of injury even as huge cash, jewelry, handsets and other valuables were lost to the robbers.

Similar ugly incident recurred at Alakuko-Ojokoro, on the outskirts of Lagos last May when a family of four was killed by a rampaging gang of armed robbers.

The eyewitness account said these unwanted visitors have had a successful operation and wanted to leave the home of the victims when one of them ordered that none of the family members be spared.

The reason for the dastardly act, Daily Champion gathered , was because the family didn't have money to give to them.

Also last month on Osanyintola Street, Jankara- Ijaiye in Ojokoro council area of the state some dare-devil robbers stormed the residence of a family just as they rounded off the christening ceremony of their new born baby.

The robbers, numbering about 15 held the nursing mother hostage, demanding her trinkets and money people sprayed her at the party earlier.

The family was said to have surrendered over N100,000 and some other valuables to the robbers.

However, that was not all, their neighbours were equally visited one after another by the daring robbers.

Ebele Boniface is also a victim of armed robbers' attack of recent. Two times in one month, he has fallen victim.

For the first experience, this journalist was on his bed when some armed young men besieged his residence at Agbe Road in Abule Egba, on the outskirts of the city.

The robbers did not only beat hell out of him and other occupants, they also carted away their money and some other valuables.

Not quite long therafter, his house was also invaded by another gang. This time, Ebele was somehow lucky to have been treated humanely by the robbers. He only lost N550 and his mobile phone to them.

Since them, Ebele told Daily Champion that he couldn't sleep with his two eyes closed.

"Do you believe that since the two incidents, it always appears to me that robbers will come to our house again. And because of this, any strange face that I see around my premises is a possible suspect", Ebele said.

Madam Beatrice Ogwuche, a businesswoman has also fallen victim of robbers' attack. This was just about two weeks ago.

Beatrice was just stepping out from the banking hall where she had gone to withdraw huge amount of money to buy goods when she was attacked by the robbers.

Before Beatrice could understand what was happening, one of the robbers had pulled out a pistol from under his clothing and ordered her to surrender the handbag.

The robbers after collecting the bag containing the sum of N150, 000, the hand set and some vital documents, mounted two waiting motorcycles and fled.

But Johnson Alarape was a bit luckier that neither him nor any other member of his family saw the robbers that raided their compound sometime last month, face to face.

Johnson told Daily Champion that the robbers raided a good number of houses and wreaked havoc on many residents, but his family was lucky to have been spared.

"When I heard the sporadic gunshots, I quickly told my family that we should enter into prayers.

"Though, we were terrified, the prayers worked out to our favour. This is because the robbers got to every other room in the house but when it was the turn of my room, one of them just told others that it was time for them to take their leave. That was how they left our compound", he said.

The examples abound. The ugly experiences were the reflection of what many Lagos residents have suffered from robbers in recent time. And these are not exclusive of homes.

Cases of corporate bodies, particularly banks and bus robberies, popularly known as one chance also abound in the metropolis.


Unsuspecting victims are daily attacked in many areas, including schools, hospitals and reverred places as churches and mosques.

As a matter of fact, the dare-devil robbers find it easy to operate anywhere as their activities are carried out with little or no resistance.

Similarly, many people have fallen victims of robbery attacks on the highways. The two most notorious highways among these are the Third Mainland Bridge and the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

While robbers have cahsed in on the perennial traffic snarl on Third Mainland Bridge to rob motorists, those specialised in one chance robbery, rob unsuspecting commuters.

Suffice it to say that many people have lost their lives in the hand of bank robbers. The police are worst hit. They have lost hundreds of their men and officers to robbery operations.

The case of a police corporal attached to the Railway Police Station Agege, is still fresh in the mind.

In fact the incident was not only unfortunate, it was also pathetic.

The young police officer, it was gathered closed for work and decided to visit a friend, detailed to Oshodi branch of one of the old generation banks.

It was not quite long that this father of four got to his friend when some robbers stormed the bank. The robbers who saw him as a stumbling block against them gunned him down alongside three other policemen. Funny enough, his host escaped the wrath unhurt.

Nevertheless, the security situation in the state, which is the commercial hub of the nation, has continued to deteriorate.

And as things stand now, residents no longer have rest of mind as nobody knows who could be the next victim.

No wonder that the main worry of the state's newly posted police commissioner, Mr Mohammed Abubakar is how to curb the increasing incidence of crimes and criminal activities, particularly armed robbery.

Against this backdrop, he has implored his men to swing into action with a view to making the state a crime-free one.

According to the Lagos police boss, "My main worry about the security in the state, is the rise in crime, armed robbery, car snatching and unwarranted attacks on individuals as a result of the menace of area boys."

And within two weeks of his resumption, he has mapped out some modalities to contain the menace.

He has not only secured the support of the state government and the traditional institution, he has as well taken the case before his boss, Mr Mike Okiro, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, who has assured of his cooperation.

Abubakar after parading 64 suspected armed robbers last weekend told Daily Champion that the sleeping time is over for Lagos police command.

His belief, he said, was to prevent crimes rather than arresting suspected robbers for prosecution.

And to achieve this, he has tasked his men, particularly the Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to wake up to their responsibilities.

According to him, "the police are to detect and prevent crime. I don't want to hear that armed robbers killed a person and that they (policemen) caught the suspects and have charged them to court when they know they could have prevented the robbers from robbing in the first place, he declared.

Lagosians are now hoping that with the new leadership in the command, the menace of robbery attacks would be curtailed.


MASSOB Leader's Fate to be Decided July 30 (Daily Champion)


FEDERAL High Court, Abuja has fixed July 30, 2007 for hearing of the bail application filed by Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) leader Ralph Uwazurike.

Justice Babs Kwewumi who took the decision, said it was to enable both prosecution and defence counsel to formalize their positions on the bail bid.


Meanwhile, Uwazuruike's wife Ngozi has maintained that she was still committed to the husband's cause, eventhough he had spent two years in detention.

"The struggle continues - it is not negotiable," she told British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

When one of the oldest Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) Chief Chimezie Ikeazor came to take over as team leader for the defence team for Uwazuruike, in spite of his incapacitation, as he came on his wheel chair, the entire court premises burst into a sympathetic mood.

Leading government prosecution counsel Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) had objected to any informal bail application, to which Justice Kwewumi acquiesced.

It may be recalled that the MASSOB leader was arrested by state security services (SSS) operatives at his home town, Okwe near Owerri, Imo over two years ago and has since been in detention.

Some other personalities of other ethnic groups like Dr. Frederick Fasehun, founder of the O'odua Peoples Congress (OPC) and his compatriot, Ganiyu Adams, who were arrested months after Uwazuruike and charged in court on similar treasonable felony charges, have since last year been granted bail.

They did not spend up to one year in detention.

Similarly, Mujaheed Asari-Dokubo, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), who was later arrested for similar treasonable felony and murder, has also since been released on bail.

For him, government is even negotiating with him and offering him mouth watering incentives to stop arms struggle.

But, Uwazuruike, who maintain he was on a non-violent struggle for the independence of " Biafra," is still being kept in detention.

When his matter came up yesterday, various Igbo leaders including the "Eze Igbo" in Abuja Eze Nwosu Ibe and his entire cabinet, Sen. Uche Chukwumerije, Mrs. Ifenyinwa Obegolu, Kevin Emeka Okoro, Emmanuel Onwubiko; Chukwudi Enekwenchi and many others, thronged the court premises and were able to break the security cordon mounted by both heavily armed Policemen and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives.

After the court adjourned, Chief Ikeazor, Festus Keyamo and Obegolu, wondered why government was not willing to grant bail to Uwazuruike.

They told newsmen that Uwazuruike's mother died in May and they pleaded with government to release him to bury his mother in addition to attend to his ailing health, all to no avail.

They wondered at the justice behind granting bail to people who are deemed to have committed more grievous offence, pointing out that Ndigbo needed to something to be let out of this negative situation.

The few MASSOB members on trial and supporters who made it to the court premises sang freedom and other Christian songs as soon as they came out of the courtroom.

Mrs Uwazuruike, said the children had been affected by not seeing their father for two years.

"Our four children are out of school now and they miss their father," she told the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC's Network Africa programme.

Mr Uwazuruike was arrested in October 2005 and has been in detention since then.

"The little one is emotionally sick now," Mrs Uwazuruike said. "He needs to see his father. But I don't know how I could possibly take that little boy to prison to see his father."


Campaign Offers New Answers to Hard Questions (Daily Champion)

ACTION Congress (AC) made an unusual campaign for the Niger Delta last week. The party launched a crusade for the creation of a Ministry for the region.

At its National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja, the party contended that establishment of such ministry will bring an enduring solution to the lingering crises in the area.


However, though the party's chieftains made vigorous efforts to sell their idea, many people are yet to key to the suggestion. Perhaps, that is why many days after they expressed the view neither the federal government, the National Assembly nor the public has responded to it.

Such indifference to the suggestion is easy to decipher. For many AC got it wrong. Arriving at a panacea to the unsettling situation in the Niger Delta cannot be achieved through the establishment of a ministry for the region. It goes beyond that.

Instead, there is a resonating voice that the federal government should go beyond lip service and partner with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to address the nauseating condition of the area.

Major oil companies operating in the region last week tacitly raised a flag for such arrangement. The companies, among other things had endorsed a new strategy that would make them jointly initiate and execute developmental projects in communities in the area. They called for an extra funding of NDDC by the government.

Really the degeneration of situation in the Niger Delta, has paved the way for several individuals and bodies to flaunt diverse remedies and options for addressing the problems of the area.

Of course some of the recommendations are salutory. But, arguably, of all of them, the recent unveiled NDDC masterplan seems to be the most realistic tool for confronting the many issues in the zone.

Even critics of the commission are yet to criticise the plan. The federal government has lauded it as a progressive step in the effort at fixing the region.

President Umaru Yar'Adua at a meeting with elders of the Niger Delta at Aso Rock expressed confidence in the ability of the plan to end touching tales of neglect and abandonment of the area.

However beyond such attractive comments from the presidency, watchers of events in the area believe the only approach to addressing the problem of the area remains a robust collaboration between the commission, the federal government, state, councils and other stakeholders.

For the Niger Delta to meet the yearnings of the people as a developed and crisis-free region and for the problems of widespread poverty; very low industrial development; poor health and high mortality rate; inadequate transportation with movement and access to settlements hampered by a poor road network and difficult conditions especially in the riverine areas; absence of electricity supply in many riverine areas; poor telecommunications; shortage of land for development; inadequate health and education facilities, ineffective waste management and inadequate sanitation facilities, social restiveness and conflicts be put to an end, there needs to be concerted efforts by the stakeholders in the Niger Delta in finding lasting solution to these problems.

These stakeholders include the Federal Government, the state governments; the local governments, the oil companies, the Niger Delta Development Commission, other private concerns and people of the local communities, including youths.

As the intervention agency set up by the Federal Government, NDDC needs to partner with the other stakeholders in ensuring speedy development of the oil-rich region.

The NDDC partnership with the Federal Government is very important as the latter, as the main policy maker, has a lot of roles to play in ensuring the growth of the region.

The lack of infrastructure continues to stifle the growth of the region and the provision of most of these infrastructure lies at the doorstep of the Federal Government.

Some of the infrastructure which the Federal Government needs to provide to make the job of the NDDC easier are power, telecommunications, roads and rail system.

In the area of power, it is noteworthy that the power sector in the Niger Delta is characterised by growing disparity between demand and supply. About 72% of the household in the region are said to be connected to the national electricity network. The rate of connection is even lower for some of the rural communities. A major oil producing states, Bayelsa, is not connected to the national electricity grid at all and this is worrisome as a great percentage of the nation's wealth is derived from the state.

Waste management is another pressing problem besetting the Niger Delta as the region is faced with a myriad of waste management-related problems. There is high level of environmental pollution from the oil, gas and other industrial activities and the intractable problems of solid waste management, especially within the over populated semi-urban and urban areas remain a source of concern. The role of the Federal Government in this area is enacting an enabling law on safe waste management, like it did by giving a deadline for gas flaring. Unless the federal Government is ready to enact the enabling laws and willing to enforce same, the problem of waste management in the Niger would not go away.

To open the Niger Delta for rapid development, the problem of telecommunications cannot be wished away. Agreed, there is now the Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) Communication, but the networks, owned by private companies are only available in the urban and semi-urban areas. Telecommunication Systems are absolutely absent in the rural and riverine areas. Since it takes a lot to deploy their equipment to communities, the GSM operators are very reluctant to deploy in the rural and riverine areas of the Niger Delta.

The NDDC and the states need to partner in the areas of agriculture and healthcare. In agriculture, the states governments need to take pro-active steps to develop the agric sector. The states have to make land available for a large rubber, cocoa and oil palm plantations. This would revive the peoples interest in cash crop farming as a partnership with the states and the NDDC, as expected would give birth to something fruitful.

Also, the states have to ensure that their statutory allocation to the NDDC are remitted so that the commission would be single-minded in its task of developing the region.

In the area of healthcare, the states and the NDDC can partner in building hospitals, equipping the hospitals and stocking them with drugs to meet the health care needs of the people.

Since the Local Governments are closer to the people, the NDDC and the LGs can partner on identifying what are the immediate needs of the people. The LGs should identity the areas to be opened up and it cannot build roads in its own, partner with the NDDC and build rural roads up to acceptable standards it can also build cottage hospitals.

Inspite of the position anybody may hold on issues concerning the Niger Delta and emerging trend in the area, nobody can concretely dismiss the intervention of NDDC in the region in the last eight years.

Though some people have raised some queries on the manner funds were expended, the truth however is that the commission has helped in varied ways to mark up developments in the area.

Before its coming, the Niger Delta was a sorry tale of woes with about 70% of the people living below the poverty line and unemployment high; healthcare delivery poor, with the region's 20% mortality rate amongst the highest in the world. The transportation system was inadequate with movement and access to settlements being hampered by a poor road network and difficult conditions, especially in the riverine areas. There was also absence of electricity supply in many riverine areas and regularly interrupted supply access all areas; telecommunication was poor; there was shortage of land for development; inadequate education facilities; ineffective waste management and inadequate sanitation facilities and unending social restiveness and conflict as the order of the day.

However, the NDDC can arguably be said to have done well in confronting some of these problems. It has constructed several kilometres. of roads in the oil-producing communities and states. It has also built many bridges, schools, hospitals and rural electrification.

However the NDDC development efforts in the Niger Delta are also constrained by weak, inefficient and dilapidated institutional capacity. There is lack of adequate trained manpower, effective and transparent working practices and systems and established institutional norms and values.

For the Commission to however ensure an enduring legacy, it must rise to the challenge of ensuring the complete development of the region, by tapping the abundant human and material resources which the region is blessed with. If properly tapped, the Niger Delta has enough potential to surpass even the socio-economic and human development objectives set out in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and national strategies like the NEEDS. In fact achieving these targets is considered the minimum possible development threshold for the region.

Besides the tremendous oil and gas wealth, the Niger Delta Region is endowed with a large number of working age population and potentially cultivable land and fishery resources. If properly exploited and combined with strategic programmes, the region will in a short time over the myriad of crises that have bedevilled it.

The so many other areas into which the Niger Delta Development Commission has to focus on to bring wealth and prosperity to people of the oil-rich region include the agric sector, the solid minerals sector, forestry and livestock production and processing.

In the agric sector, the Niger Delta people were farmers which produced 50% of the nation foreign exchange earnings before the oil boom of 1970s and the region produces a variety of cash crops and food corps. The cash crops are palm fruits, from which palm oil and palm kennels are derived, rubber and cocoa as well as well as groundnuts and pineapples.

Nigeria was once the world's largest producer of palm oil and the activity was largely centred on the Niger Delta region. The oil palm remains one of the most important cash crops in the region, and could serve again as a driver for the economic development for the region.

The NDDC has a large role to play in this regard. It could help states, local governments or even be in corporate partnership with individuals to develop palm plantations which can rival the Bayelsa palm, Ada Palm and Risonpalm owned by the respective governments of Bayelsa, Imo and Rivers states. The oil palm plantations owned by the respective states and private investors have proved to be not just profitable to the investors, but also available to the local economy job creation and infrastructure development.

The other cash crops produced in the region: rubber and cocoa should be given the same attention as outlined above for oil palm. These cash crops are international commodities which would fetch those who invest in them returns in foreign exchange.

For small-scale farmers, the NDDC should encourage them to cultivate food crops such as cassava, yam, plantain and cocoyam that could be developed more efficiently.

The NDDC should also encourage farmer to cultivate rice and fruits such as pineapples, oranges, grapes, lime, lemon, guava, pawpaw and bananas. A way to encourage the local farmers would be if the NDDC offers to buy a certain percfn3etagte of corps produced off the farmers. This would spur them back to cultivate the land, de-emphasize the focus on oil and gas and return the Niger Delta to its pride of place as the nation's food basket.

In the area of aquiculture, the Niger Delta is a labyrinth of creeks and rivers and is bordered by the atlantic ocean. Despite various efforts in the past to develop the aquiculture, the potential of the sector remains unrealized. The fact that Nigeria is the largest importer of fish in West Africa is partly indicative of the failure of past attempt to harness the fish resources and the management to meet market demand. And this failure can be laid at the door steps of the Niger Delta as it has more water bodies than other regions in the country.

The NDDC should encourage more people in the region to take to fish farming as there are benefits and income to be derived there from.

However, the commission would have to first organise training seminars for the would-be fish farmers and help them start off financially, by way for loans, to entice the people.

One major reason why many people have given cold shoulder to a suggestion for the establishment of Ministry of Niger Delta is that it will lead to an unnecessary duplication. The funds that would have ordinarily been channeled to the execution of development projects would go into paying salaries and attending to the needs of officials of the ministry.

There is absolutely no achievement that NDDC cannot record if its sufficiently encouraged and supported to by the government.

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