Unlock, maximise agric resources of Niger Delta, Tinubu charges NDDC

President Bola Tinubu has charged the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to unlock and maximise the agricultural resources of the Niger Delta for the benefit of both the region and the country.

Tinubu emphasised the importance of agriculture in the Niger Delta, noting that it was the region’s vast resources beyond oil and gas.

He gave the charge on Saturday in Port Harcourt while addressing a plenary session organised by the NDDC as part of the grand finale of activities marking the Silver Jubilee of the commission.

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, the President reaffirmed the significance of the Niger Delta region to Nigeria’s economic prosperity, describing it as “the goose that lays the golden egg.”

He tasked the NDDC to develop the region, saying that his administration’s legacy project, the 750-kilometre Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, will serve as a viable alternative to the East-West Road.

He said the project “will foster trade and connectivity across the region while opening up new investment prospects in the hydrocarbon belt and spurring the growth of eco-tourism and blue economy-based industries in the region.

“I have also directed the board and management of the commission, through the Minister of Regional Development, to complete and deliver abandoned critical projects, including the Kaa-Ataba Bridge, Okrika-Borokiri Bridge, Bonny Ring Road, Gbaregolo Roads and Bridges, and the East-West Sampou Roads and Bridges, among several others.”

The NDDC was established in 2000 by the Nigerian government to facilitate the development of the Niger Delta region.

Tinubu commended the NDDC leadership for their efforts to improve the commission’s service delivery and encouraged them to sustain the momentum and continue working towards enhancing the region’s development.

His words: “Beyond infrastructural development, the NDDC must continue to prioritise human capital development, as it remains the primary index of progress. Projects and programmes that directly impact the lives of ordinary people in rural communities must be prioritised. In this regard, I commend the Board and Management for the ‘Light Up the Niger Delta’ initiative, which has not only reduced night crimes and enhanced security but has also extended trading hours and improved social life across the region.

“I also urge you to place special emphasis on empowering the youth and women of the region. The NDDC must constructively engage the youth, steering them away from violence and militancy towards entrepreneurship and other legitimate means of self-development. This administration prioritises youth development, and I encourage the NDDC to collaborate with the Ministry of Youth Development to leverage the various initiatives available.

“Furthermore, there can be no sustainable development without peace, security of lives and property, and adherence to the rule of law. The NDDC must continue to work towards sustaining peace in the region.”

While congratulating the commission on the silver anniversary, he called on the people of the Niger Delta to continue to support his administration’s programmes and policies.

In his goodwill message, former President Goodluck Jonathan said the anniversary was an opportunity for deep reflection on the commission’s journey, the milestones across the region and the lessons learned over the 25 years and indeed the huge work that still lies ahead.

He said his sojourn in the commission before joining politics gave him a vantage position to have an idea of what had been happening in the NDDC over the period.

“Something critical that I need to mention is the frequent changes of the NDDC management, as a major problem of the commission in carrying out its mandate.

“The numerous abandoned projects were not because the management of the NDDC wanted to do so, but for the frequent changes of the management.

“When you cannot plan, there is no time for planning the next agency that should develop now resorts to contractor-driven projects, not projects based on planning,” Jonathan stated.

He thanked the President for retaining the present board and management, noting that it was only possible to mark the silver jubilee celebration because Ogbuku had stayed almost 3 years as the managing director urging that the present board be allowed to complete its tenure.

He also commended the management team under Ogbuku for its purposeful governance, people-oriented projects execution and community engagement.

The Managing Director of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, while speaking at the keynote lecture themed, ‘Transmitting Vision To Reality for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta Region’, charged the NDDC to be more committed to achieving its lofty goals of transforming the Niger Delta region.

While acknowledging and congratulating the commission for its achievements in the past 25 years, she challenged the current management and board to transform the region and modernise its economy.

She observed that the commission had received an upwards of N7 trillion naira during this period, saying that though there was an agitation for more funding to the commission but that the commission must be responsible and transparent in the management of what it has so far received.

Okonjo-Iweala regretted that the presence of many abandoned projects by the commission across the region signposted poor planning and execution of the programmes and projects by the commission.

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