Minister inspects key NDDC projects, gives completion timelines

Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, on Thursday, arrived Rivers on a three-day inspection visit of some key projects by the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC giving new timelines on the completion of some of the projects.

Speaking to journalists at the Port Harcourt international airport, Omagwa, the Minister, who is directly in charge of the NDDC, said the visit was in line with the wishes of President Bola Tinubu for effective project delivery in the Niger Delta.

As part of his itinerary for day one, Momoh visited and inspected the Kaa-Ataba Bridge, a major road project linking Khana LGA and Andoni LGA, all in Rivers State, saying that the ambitious project, now a collaboration between NDDC and the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas NLNG, was expected to be completed by December 2025.

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He also visited the Okrika-Borokiri bridge, another important project expected to link Borokiri in the heart of Port Harcourt, the state capital, to the island town of Okrika.

The two road projects are part of the key abandoned projects, which the Dr. Samuel Ogbuku-led NDDC has committed itself to complete according to the mandate from President Bola Tinubu.

The projects also aim to connect two important LGAs and are designed to improve transportation and socioeconomic activities in the region.

According to arrangements by the NDDC, the visit will see the minister inspect the highly important Kaa-Ataba Bridge, which links Khana LGA and Andoni LGA, all in Rivers.

The Minister also visited the Cardiovascular Health Centre at Braitwaite Memorial Hospital (BMH), now Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, which specialises in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of heart and blood vessel conditions.

The Minister, Momoh, told journalists after the inspection of the Niger Delta Regional Hospital that the projects, when completed, would add value to the system, both transportation system and health care delivery system.

“And these are the major policy thrust of the Tinubu administration”.

“The first being Ataba bridge, second is Okirika bridge, and here we’re in the outskirts of Port Harcourt to inspect the hospital facility.

“For me, these are major legacy projects, so when they are completed, as I told you earlier in the day, I decided to come here this time around with the permanent secretary and other principal officers of the ministry to see what is going on.

“So if these three projects are focused on within this period and they are driven to conclusion, I’m sure nddc would have achieved a major feat in this project delivery. Like I told you before, we saw what happened last year with similar projects in other states”.

He charged the Managing Director and management of NDDC to ensure that they remained firm and committed towards the completion of the projects.

The Minister stated: “We have already given them charge to ensure that enough money is provided because the only thing that can delay the completion of projects like this is if there’s no adequate funding, and you also heard from the contractors, and both contractors have given firm promises and a timelines within which they will complete their different projects. This one now, they have given a maximum of ten months when funds are made available to get this project to this condition.

“The implications of it are that within this administration period, we will be able to commission these projects.

“Like the first one we visited, that one also gave a timeline of the end of the year. So that plus or minus before the third year of Tinubu’s administration, we will also get that project complete. The Okrika bridge, he has also given his own word that as long as there’s adequate funding, the project will also see the light of the day”.

Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said that the interest of the commission in completing the project was based on the fact that Mr. President had charged the NDDC to complete every legacy abandoned project, “and that is why we are interested”.

“If we completed them, definitely it’s going to be for the betterment of the Niger Delta, and it’s also going to support the healthcare system.

“This same project that we’re in right now is also going on in Ikom in Cross Rivers State, and both of them are going to be completed at the same time, and I can assure you that funding will not be a challenge; we are willing to complete them as quickly as possible,” he stated.

He explained that all three 3 projects inspected by the Minister on Thursday were being executed under a partnership arrangement with the NLNG.

“That’s part of the NLNG partnership, so that is why we are trying to accelerate projects that are in partnership with IOCs and anyone interested in us,” Ogbuku stressed.