WTO Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has urged the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to prioritise long-term economic development in the oil-rich region, warning that years of environmental degradation and neglect have deepened frustration and unrest.
Speaking at the Commission’s 25th anniversary in Port Harcourt, she commended NDDC’s past efforts but stressed it cannot afford to fail in its core mandate.
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Dr Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the environmental and economic cost of decades of oil exploration—ranging from oil spills and gas flaring to widespread ecological damage—warning that local communities continue to bear the brunt.
She noted that despite the region generating the bulk of Nigeria’s foreign earnings, the people remain under-served. Without urgent infrastructure and social investment, she warned, the region could lose up to 40% of its habitable land in the next three decades.
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