Managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has attributed the commission’s high number of uncompleted projects to previous leadership instability.
Ogbuku disclosed this yesterday on a live television programme monitored in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
He said one of the interventionist agency’s challenges in the past 25 years was the high turnover of leadership, noting: “In the past 25 years, NDDC has had 16 managing directors and chief executive officers, which caused instability in the system.”
The NDDC boss noted that the commission was determined to make the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda a reality in the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku restated the board’s and management’s commitment to the commission’s mandate by President Bola Tinubu to change the narrative in the Niger Delta region.
He said, “President Tinubu charged us to complete and deliver all abandoned critical projects across the Niger Delta Region.
“Niger Deltans should be grateful to Mr President for his commitment to ensuring the sustainable development of the region. I can assure you that before the end of Mr President’s tenure, we will complete all abandoned legacy projects.”
Regarding collaborations with other organisations, Ogbuku noted that the NDDC had made significant gains since adopting Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a major policy thrust.
The NDDC managing director said, “For most of our projects, we adopted the partnership model as it’s easier to drive projects with partnership.”
He said one such positive outcome was signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NDDC and the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) to collaborate on key projects that would positively impact the people.
Ogbuku explained, “One area we have improved upon is project monitoring. All our state offices have been equipped with vehicles and other necessary equipment for project monitoring.
“Since we came on board, to ensure our people are not spectators, we have ensured that local contractors do several of our projects. The quality of jobs results from adequate supervision, and we ensure that they meet international standards through our oversight. Local contractors do several of the projects we have been commissioning.
He stated that the commission, as part of its rebirth and rewind policy, was “transiting from transaction to transformation” in developing the Niger Delta region.
In the area of entrepreneurship, Ogbuku noted that the NDDC, through the Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, had streamlined its engagement in supporting farmers and verifiable entrepreneurs in the region.
He said, “We have built a comprehensive database for the youths in the region. This will enable the Commission to plan and share relevant data with other development agencies that may require it for their planning purposes.”
