Ndoma-Egba: Buhari Means Well for Niger Delta

NDDC board to restore commission to original mandate
Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt
The Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his determination to develop the Niger Delta region.

Speaking during the inaugural meeting of the board at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt yesterday, the Chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), cited the increase in the budgets of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the NDDC and the Amnesty Programme, the new urgency for the completion of the East-West Road, the East-West rail line, the Ogoni Clean-up, as well as the recent dialogue with leaders from the region, and expressed faith “in President Buhari’s goodwill and good faith towards the region.”

He expressed hope that these would be fully established, if the enabling environment would be created in the region, and called on “all the militant groups to stop the breaches and vandalism of oil facilities.”

“Their point has long been made. Now they are inflicting injuries and suffering on themselves and our already hapless and helpless people. They should give us a chance to develop,” he said.
The NDDC Chairman stated that development cannot occur without peace and security and called for collective action to ensure a more peaceful and secure region.

He said: “We cannot complain about environmental pollution and degradation in the region and at the same time engage in activities like pipeline vandalism and breaches that not only pollute the environment, but also shield those who should bear responsibility for the sorry state of our environment from liability.

“All of us from the region must take responsibility for peace and security in our own interest and in the interest of generations to come. All of us must be committed to the peace, security and prosperity of our region. It is our duty.”

Meanwhile, the Governing Board of the NDDC has reaffirmed its resolve to refocus the commission to its original mandate and make it the vehicle to bring development and peace to the Niger Delta region.

The Chairman of the oard, Ndoma-Egba, said this in his remarks at the inaugural meeting of the board held at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt yesterday.

He expressed regret that the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan meant to accelerate the development of the hitherto turbulent and underdeveloped region had so far failed to achieve that objective. Rather, he said: “the region has become even more turbulent and more underdeveloped than when the Master Plan was launched, clearly because the Master Plan was abandoned after all the fanfare that attended its launching in 2007.”

The chairman said: “The commission lost its focus as a development commission or agency and has rather acquired the reputation, rightly or wrongly, of a contract awarding factory or machine, delivering little impactful development to the region.

“We are coming on board at a very challenging time. The public image of the commission is not edifying. The militancy, restlessness and lack of development are most unnerving. We must rebrand the commission and change the public perception of it as a slush fund and this we must do through our honest work and single minded focus and discipline.”

He stressed the need to reform the processes of the commission, adding that things must be done differently if different results must be achieved.

“We must see our appointments as a life time opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of the ordinary people of the region and write our names in gold for posterity and not an opportunity for our own slice of the proverbial national cake or short term benefits. We should keep our eyes on history,” he admonished members of the board and management.

Ndoma-Egba noted that previous interventions in the region had been unremarkable, starting from the Niger-Delta Development Board (1961-1972), Niger Delta River Basin Authority (1972 – 1983), Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (1972-2000) to the NDDC.

According to the Chairman, these intervention agencies failed for loss of focus, mismanagement, inadequate funding, corruption and the lack of the appropriate will to develop the region. He said that though the time for the current board was short, it was long enough to chart a new path.

He stated that the commission must shed weight and unnecessary baggage and burdens to be effective and transparent. He said further: “In keeping with Mr. President’s change agenda and global best practices we have to audit our systems, processes, projects, and staff. The commission must be transparent so that we can get more support from stakeholders and engage the attention of international development partners.”

The chairman said that the commission would remain open to suggestions that would facilitate its vision and ensure value for money spent. “The Board will set quarterly targets, milestones, benchmarks and responsibilities that will form the focus for each quarter. Achieving these targets will be the core oversight function of the Board committees that will be set up soon,” he said.

Ndoma-Egba assured the people that the budget process of the commission must be stakeholder and end user driven and owned with clear impact assessment.
“We shall evolve strategies to enhance staff productivity and compensation. Staff welfare shall be given priority attention,” he said.