Niger Delta Commission Proposes N1.75trn Budget For 2025

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has proposed a total of N1.75 trillion budget for the 2025 financial year.

The managing director of NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stated this during the defence of the proposal, titled, “Budget of Consolidation,” before the House of Representatives Committee supervising the commission in Abuja yesterday.

Ogbuku said the proposal, which is based on revenue assumptions, represents a 9% decrease from 2024, driven by a no-borrowing approach.

He said out of the amount, personnel costs stood at N47.5 billion, while overhead expenditures are projected at N96.4 billion.

Speaking on the 2024 budget performance, Ogbuku said an aggregate revenue of N1.911 trillion was projected to fund last year’s “Budget of Renewed Hope”, which comprised overhead costs of N76.77 billion and capital costs of N1.820 trillion.

“As of October 31st, 2025, the Commission’s actual revenue stood at N1.945 trillion, exceeding the target of N1.911 trillion for April 2024 – September 2025 by 104%. This was mainly due to the extension of the 2024 budget to December 31st, 2025.

“Investing in critical infrastructure is a key component of our fiscal strategy under the 2025 Budget Proposals. The present Management is re-navigating its process of intervention by adopting the Public-Private-Partnership model as a vehicle to drive sustainable development in the Niger Delta Region.

“Our fiscal reforms shall introduce new performance management frameworks to regulate the overhead cost. Accordingly, only activities that are tied to measurable programmes will be approved. We have moved away from the previously line item budgeting system to sectoral allocation of funds to encourage confidence.

“For the 2025 Budget, our main goal is to strengthen our foundation for sustainable economic growth, marking a shift from transactional to transformational approaches. A key focus is sectoral funding allocation, moving away from line-item budgeting that hindered contractors from resuming projects,” he added.

In her remarks, the chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, stated that the 2025 NDDC budget will not be business as usual; hence, every line item must be purposeful, people-centred, and strategically aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government.

“This budget must speak directly to the aspirations of the Niger Delta people by addressing longstanding developmental gaps, fostering sustainable growth, and ensuring that no community is left behind.

“In line with this commitment, the House Committee on NDDC will continue to offer its unwavering and constructive support to the Commission, while also demanding accountability, transparency, and value for money in the execution of approved projects and programmes,” she noted.