The Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has commended the Board and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission for imbibing a new spirit of collaboration in the development of the Niger Delta region.
Governor Ikpeazu spoke when members of the Board and Management of NDDC paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House in Umuahia on Monday.
The visiting NDDC team included the Chairman of the Governing Board, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, the Managing Director, Mr. Nsima Ekere, the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Mr Mene Derek, the Executive Director Projects, Engr. Samuel Adjogbe, and other directors of the Commission.
Governor Ikpeazu declared: “We are excited by the new spirit in the NDDC. There seems to be a reinvigoration and a new spirit. People now see NDDC in a better light. The previous experience where NDDC projects are looked at with suspicion appears to be over. ”
“We are happy with the work the present board and management of the NDDC is doing. The expectations of Nigerians are very high knowing the pedigree of the Chairman and the Management team.”
The Governor said he was excited by the vision of the new board. “I assure you of the full cooperation of the people of Abia State. We will tell the story that this NDDC Board and Management are running a new agency of development.” he said.
Governor Ikpeazu said that interactions with the stakeholders in the Niger Delta should be more regular, as it would make for better collaboration in the execution of projects. When we collaborate, we will get better results,” he said.
He made a special case for the Ohanko-Aba Road, which he said was critical to the state.
The Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Senator Ndoma-Egba told the governor that the Commission was working with a new attitude of cooperation and collaboration.
Senator Ndoma-Egba said that one of the first decisions taken by the board was to make a case for the re-activation of all dormant organs of the Commission. One such important organ, he said, was the Advisory Committee made up of all the governors of the NDDC member states and two other members appointed by Mr. President.
Senator Ndoma-Egba noted that it was necessary to revive the Advisory Committee because the NDDC must work with the government of the member states to ensure that they took ownership of its projects and programmes, as well as check the duplication of projects.
The NDDC Chairman said that the Commission was going around to meet with governors because, according to him “we are now operating with a new spirit of partnership. We must move the region forward, and we can only do this by cooperating.”
He stated that it was necessary to revive the Advisory Committee because the NDDC must work with the government of the member states to ensure that they took ownership of its projects and programmes, as well as check the duplication of projects.
The Chairman said: “we believe that our projects must be monitored, not only by us but, by outsiders. We want to earn the confidence of our stakeholders. That is why we are auditing our systems to ensure that we are transparent.
“We are thinking beyond oil, because oil is a finite resource and we all know that one day it will dry up or it will be overtaken by technology. So we have started the process of setting up a Niger Delta Development Bank. We must begin to see how we can fund development in the region from sources other than oil,” he declared.
Senator Ndoma-Egba said that the Commission was also preparing to build an Internet Network across the Niger Delta, stating that NDDC must be futuristic in planning for the development of the Niger Delta “We want to ring the region with a fibre optic network to deepen internet access,” the Chairman said.
He said that the Commission was implementing an innovative 4-R strategy which entails: “Restructuring the balance sheet which currently has about N1.2 trillion worth of on-going projects; Reforming the governance systems to ensure that as an organization we comply with extant rules and regulations and prevent mistakes of the past from recurring; Restoring the core mandate of the Commission by ensuring we have a properly prepared set of Master Plans for the 9 States; Reaffirming our commitment to doing what’s right and proper.”
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