Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Chiedu Ebie, has said the new leadership in the commission would unveil the right vision and set the tone for the management to drive the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.
Ebie, who stated this during a facility tour of the NDDC headquarters complex in Port Harcourt, underlined the need for the new board and executive management to take basic steps that would inform the roll out of new strategies to drive the development process in Nigeria’s oil-rich region.
The chairman was accompanied on the facility tour by other members of the NDDC Board, including the managing director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, the executive director of finance and administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye; the executive director projects, Sir Victor Antai and the executive director of corporate services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde.
He stated that as part of the measures to reposition the NDDC, the Board in its inaugural meeting, had to first familiarise itself with the activities of the commission.
Ebie said, “We received status report from managing director and we looked at the kind of vision to set for the commission. In subsequent meetings, we will get down to work and ensure that we set the right tone for the management to implement our policies.”
The chairman expressed satisfaction with the quality of facilities at the commission’s headquarters, noting that the office complex is a massive and elaborate property.
He observed, however, that there were still a lot of work that needs to be done, especially in the ancillary building.
Ebie said it was important to ensure that a conducive working environment was created for the staff, assuring that efforts would be made to ensure that the contractors completed on-going work in the offices within the shortest possible time.
Briefing the chairman during the facility tour, the NDDC director of human resources and administration, Mr Patrick Ekade, said the commission was in the process of procuring fire trucks to fortify its fire service unit. When fully equipped, he said, the unit would not only serve the NDDC building, but would be able to respond to distress calls from the commission’s host community and beyond.
At the security department, Ekade stressed the need to provide adequate security in the building complex to promptly address safety issues.
