Nigeria's, Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has decried the inability of the Niger Delta Development Commission to complete projects commissioned in different parts of the region to uplift the lives of the people.
Jonathan who expressed concern over the frequent changes in the leadership of the management of the NDDC, said such changes would make it difficult for the commission to complete projects.
The former president speaking at the grand finale of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Niger Delta Development Commission in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Saturday. however commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for retaining the present Managing Director of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku to ensure continuity from 2023
“Onyema Ugochukwu, the pioneer chairman, noted it — the frequent changes of the leadership of the NDDC has been a problem for the development,” the former president said.
“When we listened to the keynote address, Ngozi (Okonjo-Iweala) mentioned numerous projects that were abandoned,"he added
“They were not abandoned because the managers of the NDDC wanted to do so, but the frequent changes made it that way. When you cannot plan, when there’s no time to plan, agencies that go to develop now resort to contractor-driven projects, not projects based on planning", he lamentedv
“From what the chairman said, over these 25 years, we have had 11 CEOs of the NDDC. That means that the CEO on average is two years, three months. So, two years, three months, how can you plan? How can you finish projects that are significant to the region?”
The former Bayelsa State governor described the decision to retain Samuel Ogbuku as Managing Director of the commission by the current administration of President Bola Tinubu as a move that demonstrated the interest in the development of the region.
“And we are here celebrating this because he (Ogbuku) has stayed a little more than two years. (Former President Muhammadu) Buhari appointed him in 2022, I think November or so, but he resumed duty on January 4, 2023.
“Tinubu came on board in May 2023. If Tinubu was not interested in developing this region, he would have removed him and given the appointment to another person. He would have been just five months in office. Nobody would have heard about Ogbuku.
“We hear about Oyema Ugochukwu and Timi Alaibe because they stayed for a reasonable time, and within that period, they were able to put things on the ground that people remember.”
Jonathan, however, urged the agency not to relent but to deepen its commitments to performance-driven and inclusive governance, one that prioritises long-term impacts over short-term, politically motivated projects.
He added, “We must continually emphasise that the future of the Niger Delta does not rest solely on oil and gas. It lies in agriculture, education, digital innovation, tourism, and renewable energy. True sustainability requires preparing our region for a post-oil economy, the transition that must begin now.”
Meanwhile the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called on the Niger Delta Development Company (NDDC) to proffer sustainable solutions to the economic challenges currently bedevilling the Niger Delta region in the country
Her advice comes as the oil-producing region suffers from environmental degradation from decades of oil and gas exploration.
Okonjo-Iweala, who was critical in her choice of words while delivering her address during the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Commission on Saturday, said the neglect of the socio-economic prosperity of the region has resulted in widespread frustration, which has culminated in restiveness among the people.
She called on NDDC to always give special attention to the economic development of the Niger Delta.
“Let me first congratulate the NDDC for the work it has carried out for the people of the Niger Delta", she praised
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