The word is spreading fast in the markets and motor parks of Cross River State. The Niger Delta Development Commission has sent a clear message: stop destroying the projects meant to help us. This isn't a quiet letter from some faraway office in Port Harcourt. It's a public warning aimed straight at the palaces of our traditional rulers and the meeting halls of our youth leaders. People here are talking about it over plates of garri, wondering if this time the plea will be heard.
For years, we've seen it happen. A new water project gets completed, and within months, the pipes are stolen. A community hall is built, and the roofing sheets vanish. It's a cycle of frustration that leaves everyone worse off. The NDDC is tired of seeing its work, and our tax money, literally torn apart. They're putting the responsibility squarely on those who hold influence in our towns and villages.
The warning isn't just for the young men who might take a crowbar to a transformer. It's for the chiefs and elders too. The NDDC is saying community leaders must step up. They have to be the ones to protect these projects, to teach the youth that destroying them hurts our own families. A transformer isn't just metal; it's light for children to study by. A water borehole isn't just plastic pipe; it's health for our mothers.
This hits home for anyone who has waited for a promised road or clinic. You hear the government agency is finally building something, and hope flickers. Then, before it can even be used, it's stripped bare. It feels like a betrayal from within. The NDDC's message is simple: we can't keep helping you if you keep breaking what we give. It's a hard truth many here have been saying for a long time.
What does the NDDC want the traditional rulers to do? They want them to use their authority. They want them to gather the youth and explain that vandalism steals from our future. They want them to be the first line of defense for community assets. It's a call back to an older way of doing things, where the palace ensured order and the community's property was sacred.
The warning to the youth groups is even more direct. Stop the destruction. The NDDC implies that continued vandalism could mean fewer projects coming our way. Why should they invest in a place that doesn't protect the investment? It's a question that makes people nervous. We need these projects desperately, but we also need to keep them safe.
People are reacting with a mix of agreement and worry. 'They are right to say it,' said a trader in Calabar, who asked not to be named. 'But will the boys listen? The chiefs need to have real power again for this to work.' There's a sense that the social contract is broken, and just telling people to stop isn't enough. Jobs and opportunity are the real cure, many argue.
The next step is now in the hands of our communities. The NDDC has laid down the challenge. Will our rulers and youth leaders answer it? The state of the next project—whether it stands tall or is picked apart—will be the real test. For families hoping for better roads, cleaner water, and reliable electricity, that test can't come soon enough.
