On Wednesday, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) entered into a pact with KPMG, an international tax, audit, and advisory firm, on the provision of Governance Advisory Services.
The move is in line with the vision of Dr Samuel Ogbuku-led new management of the NDDC to institute transparency and accountability in the running of the commission and reverse the negative perception of the NDDC as a cash cow for politicians.
The Managing Director of the Commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, signed the agreement on behalf of the NDDC, while Tolu Odukale, Lead Partner and Head of Governance Process, KPMG, signed on behalf of his company.
In his remarks before the signing, Ogbuku declared that the interventionist agency would no longer be a launch pad for political activities, as many perceived.
He stated that the management of the commission wanted it to be known for its standards, adding that partnering with KPMG would launch the NDDC into international acceptance.
The NDDC boss said: “We believe that partnering with KPMG to provide advisory services for governance is going to launch NDDC to an international level of acceptance.
By committing to this agreement, we are going to be regulated internally too, and that means our processes are going to comply with international best practices according to KPMG standards.
“Just as we said, we want to do things differently, and we mean it by trying to take this step. That means we want to be internally regulated. We want to create standards.
“We want to strengthen the institution so that whatever it has, it will be difficult for anyone to upturn it. So that NDDC will be known for standards just like some other firms are.
“So that NDDC will not be seen as a launching pad for political activities anywhere, just as it is being perceived.
So, these internal regulations that we have come to put in place, which KPMG is going to provide for us, we are going to follow them strictly.”
He thanked the team from KPMG and its head office for the opportunity of the partnership.
In his remarks, the Lead Partner and Head, Governance Process, KPMG, Tolu Odukale, thanked the NDDC for considering the firm to provide it with governance advisory services.
Odukale said: “We want to thank you very much for considering KPMG for this opportunity.
Accepting to work with the NDDC, we consider the objective of the NDDC to be key to the sustainable development of the Niger Delta.
“We considered the inputs of the NDDC and its contributions to the development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria as the basis for acceptance of this agreement”.
He pointed out that the agreement would boost investors’ confidence in the commission, saying that “by embarking on this journey, NDDC is being positioned to be the fulcrum of development in the Niger Delta”.
Odukale promised to give close and dedicated attention to the letters of the agreement to ensure it achieved its intended purpose.
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