The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has reaffirmed the  commitment of the Federal Government intervention agency to the vision of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration by only giving approval to projects that align with the government's eight priority areas as well as the NDDC Act of 2000.

Dr. Ogbuku made the pronouncement at the ongoing four-day Niger Delta Stakeholders' Summit 2024 that is holding at the J's Signature Hotel in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and that is intended to develop strategies as well as articulate a roadmap for economic growth and development in the Niger Delta region.

Recall that President Tinubu, in his Renewed Hope Agenda towards meeting the expectations of the Nigerian people, formulated key important areas that include: reforming the economy to deliver sustained, inclusive growth; strengthen national security for peace and prosperity; boost agriculture to achieve food security; unlock energy and natural resources for sustainable development; enhance infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth; focus on education, health, and social investment as essential pillars of development; accelerate diversification through industrialization, digitization, creative arts, manufacturing and innovation; and improve governance for effective service delivery.

Meanwhile, participating stakeholders of the Summit in the region, speaking during the Technical Session, have tasked the Federal Government to release the outstanding debt of over N2 trillion owed to the NDDC by it to enable the agency achieve its development mandate in the region.

Accordingly, the National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Sen. Emmanuel Essien, said "Incidentally, I was the Deputy Chief Whip in the Senate at the time we enacted the NDDC Law. Incidentally, also when President Olusegun Obasanjo refused to sign the bill into law, we from the Niger Delta region pleaded with our colleagues to override him, and incidentally I led the walk-out at the Federal Republic of Nigeria, before our colleagues came to agree to override that veto.

"I want to say that the ideals of that law has not been achieved, partly because of under-funding and partly because of management issues. That is why I want to thank the present board and management in what they are doing to redeem that deficiency, and I want to join the traditional rulers to plead with Mr. President to release all the outstanding money for NDDC which is over N2 trillion.

“You cannot set up an agency and you don’t fund it and expect it to do what it supposed to do. There are lots of issues in the Niger Delta region. The master plan for the region cannot be implemented. I was part of the master plan for this region, as the Vice Chairman of NDDC Committee in the Senate at that time. We are borrowing money to do other things; even if it is to borrow to refund the money to NDDC, we should borrow so that NDDC can achieve its core mandate,” Sen. Essien added to his appeal.

On the NDDC Act, he said “We also want to say at this stakeholders meeting, that there is need to review that NDDC Act. There are other sources of money that had to be brought into the Act to enrich the purse of the NDDC. Also, the single Treasury Account should not be applied to NDDC. They should have their money so that they can do their projects,” he further stressed.

Also towing same point, the Chairman, Founding Fathers of defunct OMPADEC and NDDC, Prof. Jasper Jumbo, who expressed confidence in the NDDC Board, said "Tell the National Security Adviser to tell the President, if they are borrowing money to execute projects in Nigeria, they should borrow money and pay back to NDDC. I can’t see why the NDDC should not be getting three per cent VAT, as part of its funding position. They should give them three per cent VAT. Let them have and see how they cannot give us legacy projects.”

On their part, while the Deputy Chairman of House Committee on NDDC, Hon. Jafaru Leko, promised that they will ensure speedy passage of the 2024 budget of N1.9 trillion, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was represented by Mrs. Osareti Grace, said the President’s broader and long-term National Security vision include moving internal security from kinetic to non-kinetic operations, noting that the office of the NSA would emphasise security from human and socio-economic development point of view in order to deepen democratic culture in the Niger Delta region.

Earlier, in his opening address, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the NDDC, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, charged leaders and key stakeholders from various sectors and ethnic nationalities to collaborate for the development of the Niger Delta region.

Dr. Ogbuku in his presentation assured stakeholders that the commission is dedicated to collaborating with state governors in the region as development partners, rather than competing against them, so as to facilitate rapid infrastructural and economic progress in the region.

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