Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, has acknowledged that while the Commission is not without flaws, it remains open to constructive criticism and willing to make necessary corrections.
Ogbuku made this known during a press briefing organised by NDDC on Monday in Asaba, as part of activities marking its 25th anniversary.
He stated that the NDDC would officially turn 25 on Saturday, July 12, and paid tribute to all stakeholders who played a role in the establishment of the commission as an interventionist agency for the Niger Delta region.
According to him, NDDC was an offshoot of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC, and was formally established in the year 2000 through an Act of Parliament.
“NDDC is special because it is an act that belongs to the people and it was a response to the crisis in the Niger Delta to address the agitations of our people and to ensure that there was peace in the region and to bridge the developmental gap,”; Ogbuku said.
He noted that the needs assessment carried out at the time reflected the immediate priorities of the people, which included roads, potable water, quality schools, healthcare facilities, and electricity.
Ogbuku said NDDC responded by constructing concrete roads, building schools, jetties, and hospitals, and providing electricity and water to rural communities.
“So today, most of the government projects you see in the rural areas in the region are NDDC projects.
“But as we proceed, people started expecting more, they want to see roads linking communities and states, and we started looking at regional projects that would link two states and more,”; he said.
He explained that many of the large-scale projects initiated by NDDC were not completed, not due to a lack of intention, but because of systemic challenges within the commission.
“One of the major challenges the Commission has had in the past has been the high turnover of management and board members. From our records, possibly only one board has completed its tenure in the Commission.
“Since then, no board has ever completed its tenure. Some spent one year, some two years, and even less. Between 2015 and 2023, I was the ninth Chief Executive of the NDDC. This gives an idea of how the Commission has suffered from instability in leadership,”; he said.
Ogbuku, however, expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for reposing confidence in the current board, urging its members to make a marked difference in the region.
“President Tinubu has shown much love for the people of the region and we want to thank him for giving us this opportunity to serve our people and for constituting the Commission immediately he assumed office.
“Mr President did not only constitute the board, he engaged and directed us to ensure that we complete all abandoned projects and to sign a performance bond, and we signed our performance bond during our retreat at Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom,”; he said.
The NDDC boss affirmed that the board is guided by the President’s directive to spread the Renewed Hope Agenda across the Niger Delta by first engaging all relevant stakeholders in the region.
