Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, has frowned at the litan of abandoned Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) projects in the South South region especially Delta State.
He also warned against the state budgeting for something and the NDDC will also budget for the same thing which becomes a problem.
Governor Oborevwori stated this on Friday when he received the managing director of the NDDC, Dr Sam Ogbuku and his management team in Asaba, expressing his dissatisfaction over the way NDDC claims glory over projects executed by the state government.
While assuring of the readiness of his administration to partner with the interventionist agency to complete some of the projects and execute new ones, he tasked the NDDC on effective monitoring of its projects to ensure that the people get value for their money.
“When the NDDC is on the same page with the governors of the Niger Delta, we will be able to plan and see what you people want to do, so that when we are drawing our budgets, we will know what to budget for. Not that we budget for something and the NDDC will also budget for the same thing; it becomes a problem.
“It is also your fault to award contracts that you will not be able to finance. Sometimes, these contractors are not paid, so they are frustrated and have no choice but to pull out.
“There was one incident that happened; a road that was given to a contractor, we intervened in the project but we were shocked that that same road, they went and put the signpost of NDDC on it in December.
“They removed the signpost of Delta State and put their own and took pictures. My chief press secretary had to issue a press statement. Why am I saying this? So that a job that you have awarded and the person abandoned it and we decided to intervene, the person shouldn’t come to you to collect money for a job that the state did.