Ondo State, April 16, 2026 —
Residents of Ese-Odo Local Government Area in Ondo State have accused the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of diverting employment opportunities and development projects meant for Niger Delta communities to his Akoko political constituency.
The community alleged that it was excluded from a recent employment exercise carried out by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), despite being part of the Niger Delta region.
Speaking through community sources, residents claimed that all beneficiaries of the recruitment exercise were drawn from Akoko and Akure, leaving Ese-Odo without representation.
“There was an employment exercise done by the NDDC, but Ese-Odo has not been captured in the employment opportunities,” one source said, adding that repeated appeals to address the issue had not yielded results.
The community further alleged that project allocations under the NDDC were manipulated to favour the Akoko area, contrary to the commission’s distribution guidelines.
They claimed that employment slots and project funding meant for oil-producing communities were instead redirected to areas outside the Niger Delta mandate zone.
According to the sources, “Out of the 36 employments allocated to Ondo State, 27 were given to Akoko people.”
They also accused the minister of abusing his former position as Chairman of the House Committee on the NDDC to influence project allocation and recruitment processes.
In response to the situation, the community has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the National Assembly to investigate the allegations and ensure fair distribution of opportunities and projects.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the Minister of Interior and the Niger Delta Development Commission were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
