President Bola Tinubu has declared that the development, peace and growth of the Niger Delta region remain major priorities of his administration.
Tinubu made the declaration yesterday in Port Harcourt at the grand finale of activities marking the 25th anniversary of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The president, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said the Niger Delta region had played and would continue to play a significant role in the development of the country.
He said, “As pioneer regional development commission in our country, NDDC has come a long way. NDDC has remained pivotal to the well-being of people of the Niger Delta region.
“This region has played a significant role in Nigeria’s development. The development, peace and growth of the Niger Delta region remain a major priority of my administration.
“Since the inception of my administration, NDDC has continued to receive full support from the government to carry out its responsibilities in the region.
“I have directed the management of NDDC, through the minister of regional development, to complete critical projects in the region,” the president said.
In his remarks, chairman of the occasion and Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said people of the Niger Delta region were solidly behind the re-election bid of Tinubu in 2027.
Akpabio said as the goose that lays the golden egg, the people of the region have the right to choose who would govern them.
In her keynote address, the managing director of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the NDDC had a responsibility to impact positively on lives of people of the region.
Okonjo-Iweala said: “The NDDC has very important responsibility, first to the people of the Niger Delta, to ensure that they positively impact on the people of his region, then to ensure that the region is peaceful for Nigeria to make optimal use of the resources in this region.
“The NDDC has an automatic role of transforming the region. It is expected to find a lasting solution to socioeconomic challenges of the Niger Delta region. This is what the people will be expecting you to deliver.”
In his welcome address, NDDC managing director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the commission has achieved some much across communities in the Niger Delta region in the past 25 years of its existence.
Ogbuku said: “The as you know has a history of 25 years, in 25 years, NDDC has done so much, NDDC has achieved so much. In some communities, the only government presence are NDDC projects.
“The partnerships we had built is part of the successes we have recorded today. NDDC partnered with SPDC to build Ogbia-Nembe Road. We approached Chevron to build the Omediani-Escravos Road. We are still in discussion with Chevron.
“We partnered NLNG to build the Kaa-Ataba Bridge, the Okrika-Borokiri Road and several others projects were work have started in earnest. The Kaa-Ataba Bridge will be completed before the end of this year.”
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