Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has said that the commission under him is not in competition with any of the nine governors whose states are recognized as NDDC states.
Ogbuku said this when he appeared as guest on a live television interview programme. He said the commission was more interested in partnering stakeholders, including state governors for development, instead of competing with them.
“We believe that in partnership with stakeholders, we are going to achieve more, and development in our region will be faster and more holistic. We are not competing with any state government, as we only complement their efforts.”
According to him, the commission was determined to give life to the renewed hope agenda of the president, Bola Tinubu, moreso because the president was interested in the total transformation of the region.
He siad “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. “
Apart from partnering governors, Ogbuku said the commission was also working in sync with the private sector to achieve set goals. He 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 impact the people positively.
“One area we have improved upon is in 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 ensured that local contractors do several of our projects. The quality of jobs is a result of adequate supervision, and we ensure that they meet international standards through our oversight. local contractors do several of the projects we have been commissioning.”
In the area of entrepreneurship, Ogbuku noted that the NDDC, through the Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, had streamlined engagement in giving support to farmers and verifiable entrepreneurs in the region.
“We have built a comprehensive database for the youths in the region. This will enable the Commission to plan, as well as share relevant data with other development agencies that may require it for their planning purposes.
He affirmed that the commission was engaging all stakeholders to ensure harmony and cooperation in the task of developing the hitherto neglected Niger Delta region.
