NDDC Appeals to Rivers Govt. to Rescind Land Revocation

By Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt

The Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), has appealed to the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike to reverse the revocation of the land which the Commission bought to provide access to the permanent headquarters in Port Harcourt.

Ndoma-Egba made the appeal when he led members of the NDDC board on a courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House in Port Harcourt yesterday. The NDDC team included the Managing Director, Mr. Nsima Ekere, the Executive Director Finance and Administration; Mr. Mene Derek and Executive Director Projects, Mr. Samuel Adjogbe, and other members of the Board.

The Chairman called the attention of the governor to the urgent need for the parcel of land to the Commission’s operations, saying: “We are confident your Excellency will reverse his earlier decision, because Rivers State has since inception shown tremendous goodwill to NDDC.”

He expressed appreciation to the state government for hosting the Commission for the past 16 years and urged it not to relent in its assistance, adding, “Rivers State promised to give us a headquarters building at inception and it delivered on that. We want the government to help us protect that property which is facing some legal challenges.”

The Chairman told the governor that work was in progress at the site of the permanent headquarters of the Commission, adding that the land that was revoked by the government for public use would provide an access to the new office complex. “We appeal that the land be given back to us because of its importance,” Ndoma-Egba said.

 Wike said that he was aware of the challenges facing the Commission at the temporary headquarters and promised to assist it in addressing the challenges. He, however, held back on the issue of the revoked NDDC land, noting that some security matters needed to be addressed before that could be done.

The governor stated that the NDDC needed the cooperation of the state governments in the Niger Delta to achieve its goal of fast-tracking development in the region. He urged the interventionist agency to embark on projects that would add value to the lives of the people of the oil-rich region.

“NDDC must focus on the core mandate of developing the Niger Delta,” the governor reiterated, adding that that his government was ready to support all efforts in that direction.

Wike advised the NDDC to avoid cases of duplication of projects, stating that the Commission should endeavour to consult the state before embarking on projects in the area.