Former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Minister of Information Prof. Jerry Gana, and ex–Social Democratic Party presidential candidate Prince Adewole Adebayo have faulted decades of poor leadership, weak political will, and the abandonment of key development plans for the persistent underdevelopment of the oil-rich Niger Delta.
The trio spoke in Abuja on Friday at the public presentation of The Hidden Treasures, a 202-page book authored by former Delta State governorship aspirant Chris Iyovwaye.
Jonathan, who chaired the event, was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe, who explained that the former president was in Guinea-Bissau on election monitoring duties. Oghiadomhe also disclosed that Jonathan wrote the foreword to the book.
In his remarks, Jonathan lamented a long history of abandoned regional development initiatives, insisting that political rivalry and unchecked personal ambition repeatedly crippled progress in the Niger Delta.
“A lot has been said in the past and even now. But when you don’t bring action to it, it will remain potential,” he said. “Deep inside here, we can have tonnes of gold, diamonds, and uranium. But it will remain zero until they are mined and brought out. This book corroborates what we have heard.”
Reflecting on his time as Bayelsa deputy governor between 1999 and 2007, Jonathan recalled efforts to unite South-South governors and federal lawmakers behind a coordinated development agenda. Those attempts, he said, collapsed under the weight of internal competition.
“At one point, everybody in the Niger Delta wanted to be the vice president to an unknown president,” he noted, referring to the political calculations following President Obasanjo’s tenure. “Competition for power and control stalled meaningful action.”
Jonathan expressed hope in the renewed South-South governors’ commission but stressed that only decisive, practical action—not rhetoric—will rescue the region from stagnation.
“There is a need for action backed by political will,” he said. “The region must create a vehicle that identifies investment opportunities, mobilises resources, and markets them. The Niger Delta should be the economic hub of this country, capable of hosting Nigeria’s biggest seaport. We must harness our resources for real development.”
Prince Adebayo, in his remarks, described the Niger Delta as a vast but poorly managed economic paradise, echoing calls for a strategic overhaul of regional leadership and planning.
Gana also aligned with the call for urgent reforms, stressing that the region’s challenges persist because leaders have repeatedly ignored tested development frameworks.
