‘To ensure equity among all local government areas …the commission should identify ongoing projects …and where the funds committed to such projects are insufficient, funds may be drawn from the legacy debt to augment’
For two days, top shots of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and stakeholders gathered in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, to review the agency’s budgetary process in order to build confidence and inclusivity, Ibrahim Adam reports.
At the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), it is the era of “doing things differently.” At its core, are consultations and collaborations with stakeholders in order to create sustainable development for the region. Towards this end, NDDC has held a Partners for Sustainable Development (PSD) Forum 2024 Budget of Reconstruction Conference in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. The conference was attended by representatives of the nine member-states of NDDC, international oil companies (IOCs), Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities (TROMPCON), civil society organisations, youth groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The participants noted the strategic importance of the PSD Forum in the NDDC budgetary process, saying that it would eliminate duplications and institutional suspicions in the development process; reduce the incidence of working at cross purposes and check the waste of scarce resources. They affirmed that the best option for facilitating regional development in order to fulfil NDDC’s mandate was for stakeholders to work together as partners. They called for town hall meetings and the engagement of the ethnic nationalities of the region before the preparation of NDDC’s budget so as to get the people’s input. In a communique, the participants urged NDDC to operate a lean budget to allow it to begin and complete projects in a budget cycle. They said less of new projects should be captured in the 2025 budget in order to ensure the quick completion of all ongoing projects under the 2024 budget.
The timeline for payment of contractors, they argued, should not exceed 45 days, allowing for 15 days buffer after which penalties will accrue for non-payment of contractors. They requested that completed projects should be removed from the budget to pave the way for new ones. They said provisions should be made for flood control in the 2024 budget, considering the flood predictions, the likely impact on the region and the provision of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in local government areas to cater for would-be victims. The participants stressed the need for the commission to strike a balance between meeting political demands and serving the region by executing people centric-projects.
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Part of the communique reads: “To ensure equity among all local government areas regarding the 2024 budget, the commission should identify deserving ongoing projects with significant completion status and where the funds committed to such projects are insufficient, funds may be drawn from the legacy debt to augment.”
Earlier, NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said the commission was building partnerships that would yield results for the people of the region. ”We are also looking at partnerships with the IOCs and the NLNG to execute projects. We are looking at a situation where the IOCs will use their contributions to the NDDC to fund projects in the region. We don’t just want to collect the contributions. We are looking at a situation where we evaluate the specific IOC’s contribution and direct them to use for specific projects that we identified.” Ogbuku said the PSD Forum was a testament to collective collaboration and coordination, uniting a diverse spectrum of stakeholders within the region with a view to addressing pivotal issues such as environmental degradation, social exclusion, and governance gaps.
He lamented the challenge of inadequate funding, but noted that the commission had continued to erect veritable platforms for sustainable partnerships. According to him, since the current NDDC management came on board, it has focused on public private partnership (PPP) as the way to achieve the commission’s mandate of ensuring the region’s sustainable development.
In a keynote address, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore, urged the leadership of NDDC to ensure timely submission of the commission’s annual budget to enable the ministry conduct its due diligence before sending the proposal to the Presidency. Belgore, represented by the ministry’s Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Alfred Abah, praised the NDDC for developing a budgetary process that brought all stakeholders on board, noting that this was in tandem with the provisions of the laws.
He said NDDC budgets over the years had faced some challenges, which included belated submission and delayed approvals, which led to poor implementation. The Permanent Secretary said NDDC did well by assembling critical stakeholders to prepare its 2024 budget of the Commission, which focused on a common quest for the development of the Niger Delta region. He said the theme of the conference was apt for achieving an effective budgeting system for the NDDC in line with the ‘’Renewed Hope’’ agenda of the Federal Government.
NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Major. General Charles Airhiavbere (retd), emphasised the need for an all-inclusive budget for the commission. The conference, he said, was geared towards stakeholders’ participation and restructuring of the commission’s entire budgeting process in order to achieve a realistic and implementable budget, and the attainment of strategic goals and objectives through PPP.
His counterpart for Projects, Mr. Charles Ogunmola, said the management was doing things differently, noting that the conference was a first step in achieving a renaissance for the Niger Delta.
Deputy National Chairman of TROMPCON, Oba Obafemi Ogbaro, called for closer ties between NDDC and traditional rulers in the region, urging the commission to involve the royal fathers in the monitoring and supervision of development projects.
In a goodwill message, Economic Adviser to Akwa Ibom State governor, Dr Uduakobong Enang, implored the stakeholders to focus on meeting the aspirations and goals of the people of the region.