The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has outlined the Commission’s plans for 2024, saying that stakeholders’ engagements will set the tone for its activities.
Speaking during an interactive session with management and members of staff at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Ogbuku stated that engagements with various stakeholders will take the spotlight this year. He said that such engagements would help the Commission implement projects that would ensure sustainable development of the Niger Delta region and address the aspirations and needs of the people of the region. Ogbuku stated that the NDDC would host a stakeholders’ summit in March to provide a platform for new ideas and strategies to fast-track development in line with the agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
According to Ogbuku, “The summit will not just be a forum for a few individuals but will involve major stakeholders, including members of the National Assembly, ministers from the region, traditional rulers and the private sector to discuss the Niger Delta.” The NDDC boss also noted that rather than working at cross purposes, the summit would help the Commission to harmonise its activities in the Niger Delta region. He noted that priority would be given to capital projects with less emphasis on recurrent expenditure.
He urged the management and staff of the NDDC to brace up to tackle the challenges of driving the process of development in Nigeria’s oil-rich region. He also commended the efforts of the staff in the past year, while charging them to prepare to do more as a lot was expected from the Commission. “The President has high expectations of us, especially to change the narrative of the NDDC and the Niger Delta region,” he said.
In his remarks, the NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Iyaye, said that the story of the NDDC has changed for the better, stating: “We now know that most of the things we were hearing about NDDC are not correct. The staff of NDDC are hardworking and they are giving their all to the development of the region.”