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Tag: NDDC

  • NDDC to boost digital learning in Niger Delta

    NDDC to boost digital learning in Niger Delta

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will boost digital learning by linking the entire Niger Delta with fiber optics that will facilitate internet penetration and spread.

    Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba stated this when members of the Governing Council and Management of the Cross River State College of Education, Akamkpa, visited him at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.

    Senator Ndoma-Egba said the commission was making efforts to create a new environment that would bring the Niger Delta in line with the digital age. “We will challenge the creativity of our young men and women and we will also help our tertiary institutions to key into the modern ways of learning,” he said.

    The Chairman added: “the world has gone digital and learning is now electronic-based. “If we don’t train for the new world, we will be left behind. So everything is technology-based now and we want to leave a landmark contribution at the end of our tenure. We want to link the entire Niger Delta region with fiber optics that will enhance widespread internet usage.”

    Ndoma-Egba said he and the NDDC Managing Director, Mr Nsima Ekere, recently visited São Tomé and Principe to discuss with the country’s Prime Minister on the possibility of benefiting from their own excess internet capacity. He noted that the discussions were very positive.

    He assured the team from the College of Education Akamkpa, that they and other tertiary institutions in the region would benefit from the proposed high-speed internet network.

    The NDDC Chairman advised: “I want to urge you to look in a new direction of education, which is technology-based and driven by e-learning. That is where the future is anchored. I don’t want you to train people for the world that has passed. Let us train people for today’s world.

    “I want to assure you that we will make sure that all your needs are looked into. We will attend to your requests sympathetically and urgently.”

    Senator Ndoma-Egba maintained that education, being one of the core mandates of NDDC, would always be given utmost attention.”

  • FG owes NDDC N1.8trillion arrears

    The federal government may be indebted to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the tune of over N1.8trillion, The Nation has learnt.

    It was gathered that the monies are backlogs of allocations due to the agency by the federal government.

    Confirming this development, a group under the aegis of Network Advancement Programme for Poverty and Disaster Risk Reduction (NAPPDRR) its President, Alhaji Al Mustapher Emem Edoho and the Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Comrade Jubril Edukere lamented that contractors have abandoned several projects due to paucity of funds.

    Speaking at a media parley in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, Edoho called on the government to approve more funds to enable the agency complete all abandoned projects in the region, nothing that if government releases the backlog of N1.8trillion owed the agency, they can carry out the necessary infrastructural development required.

    “The face of Niger Delta will change for the better if arrears of over N1.8trillion allocation are released for the Commission,” Edoho stressed.

    Meanwhile the NAPPDRR boss has expressed concerned over the unhealthy relationship between Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State and the leadership NDDC, saying it does not bode well for the economy of the state.

    Governor Emmanuel had recently at a security stakeholders’ summit organised by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idriss, declared that the agency must get the permission of governors before embarking on any project, or quit the entire nine Niger Delta states.

    “The NDDC has no land, all the lands belong to governors, so the NDDC must get the permission of governors before embarking on any project or quit the region,”, Emmanuel had warned before the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani, and the Managing Director of NDDC, Obong Nsima Ekere.

  • NDDC, NEXIM Bank to set up N2.5b Export Development Fund

    NDDC, NEXIM Bank to set up N2.5b Export Development Fund

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will set up a N2.5 billion export development fund in conjunction with the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), its Managing Director Nsima Ekere said yesterday.

    He spoke when a delegation from  NEXIM Bank visited the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.

    Ekere said the NDDC as an interventionist agency, needed to leverage NEXIM Bank to tackle the challenges of creating jobs and building sustainable development programmes.

    He decried a situation where  Niger Delta youths were often left without hope, stating: “We need to give the youths hope by providing opportunities for them.”

    The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said the Commission had built a lot of infrastructure but must also develop the human capital. “That is why we are going to partner with NEXIM Bank to develop a regional export market which provide new opportunities for our people,” he said.

    Ekere added: “There is no better place than the Niger Delta to prepare for the diversification of the country’s economy. Now that revenue from oil has started dwindling, this is the right time to begin to create opportunities for the people in the non-oil sector.”

    He said the NDDC would set up a technical team to work out the modalities for setting up hubs for regional exports in the Niger Delta because, “the region is blessed with a lot of agricultural products that can be developed for export. We have rubber, palm oil, cashew nuts, shrimps that can be developed to keep the youths gainfully employed as well as generating foreign exchange for the country.

    “We are now doing things differently by using  the 4-R initiative to add value to the process of the Commission. Through the new initiative, we have structured our processes to make them transparent. Hence, we are restructuring the balance sheet; reforming the governance protocols; restoring the Commission’s core mandate and reaffirming its commitment to doing what is right and proper.”

    Executive Director, Business Development of NEXIM Bank, Stella Okotete, spoke on the importance of building a platform for viable export markets for the Niger Delta , adding that there was need to create awareness for a regional export initiative.

    She said: “We need to scale up credit to the non-oil sector and that is why we are seeking collaboration with NDDC to drive the process.”

    She affirmed the NEXIM Bank’s commitment to increasing the flow to the non-oil export basket and promoting export initiatives at regional levels, adding: “we need to improve on value-added exports, instead of just dealing on primary agricultural produce. This will enhance capacity development in specific export produce.”

     

  • NDDC, NEXIM Bank to set up N2.5b Export Development Fund

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will set up a N2.5 billion export development fund in conjunction with the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), its Managing Director Nsima Ekere said yesterday.

    He spoke when a delegation from  NEXIM Bank visited the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.

    Ekere said the NDDC as an interventionist agency, needed to leverage NEXIM Bank to tackle the challenges of creating jobs and building sustainable development programmes.

    He decried a situation where  Niger Delta youths were often left without hope, stating: “We need to give the youths hope by providing opportunities for them.”

    The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said the Commission had built a lot of infrastructure but must also develop the human capital. “That is why we are going to partner with NEXIM Bank to develop a regional export market which provide new opportunities for our people,” he said.

    Ekere added: “There is no better place than the Niger Delta to prepare for the diversification of the country’s economy. Now that revenue from oil has started dwindling, this is the right time to begin to create opportunities for the people in the non-oil sector.”

    He said the NDDC would set up a technical team to work out the modalities for setting up hubs for regional exports in the Niger Delta because, “the region is blessed with a lot of agricultural products that can be developed for export. We have rubber, palm oil, cashew nuts, shrimps that can be developed to keep the youths gainfully employed as well as generating foreign exchange for the country.

    “We are now doing things differently by using  the 4-R initiative to add value to the process of the Commission. Through the new initiative, we have structured our processes to make them transparent. Hence, we are restructuring the balance sheet; reforming the governance protocols; restoring the Commission’s core mandate and reaffirming its commitment to doing what is right and proper.”

    Executive Director, Business Development of NEXIM Bank, Stella Okotete, spoke on the importance of building a platform for viable export markets for the Niger Delta , adding that there was need to create awareness for a regional export initiative.

    She said: “We need to scale up credit to the non-oil sector and that is why we are seeking collaboration with NDDC to drive the process.”

    She affirmed the NEXIM Bank’s commitment to increasing the flow to the non-oil export basket and promoting export initiatives at regional levels, adding: “we need to improve on value-added exports, instead of just dealing on primary agricultural produce. This will enhance capacity development in specific export produce.”

  • Abia community honours NDDC chief Ekere

    Abia community honours NDDC chief Ekere

    Okahiuga Alike Ancient Kingdom in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, has honoured the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Nsima Ekere, with the traditional title of “Ome Nke Ahuru Anya” (he whose great deeds are evident to all).

    The community’s traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty, Eze Innocent Adiele Nwaigwe, conferred Ekere with the title.

    Eze Nwaigwe said the honour was in recognition of “Ekere’s long-standing commitment towards uplifting of mankind and developing of society”.

    He added: “What you are doing to make your commission better prepared to serve the people of the Niger Delta region has reached us. We recognise them. We recognise and commend you. The people of the Niger Delta need a leader like you, someone who cares about their affairs, who cares about their development. I want to reassure you today that my people are behind you.

    “We will continue to support you to succeed because your success will bring more development to my people, your people in Akwa Ibom and the Niger Delta.”

    Ekere said it was heart-warming for him “to see that one’s modest efforts are recognised. I believe there is so much more that awaits us, working as partners with a shared love for and commitment to impacting more positively on the well-being of the Niger Delta region and our people”.

  • NDDC pledges support for Niger Delta Universities

    NDDC pledges support for Niger Delta Universities

    The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has stated its resolve to support the development of infrastructure in universities and polytechnics across the Niger Delta.
    The Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba stated this during a courtesy visit by the Vice Chancellor of University of Calabar [UNICAL], Prof. Zana Itiunbe Akpagu, at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
    Senator Ndoma-Egba said that the main resource of any society could be found in its youths and not the natural resources or minerals. For this reason, he said, the youths must be skilled, motivated, educated and empowered. “If the youths are not properly educated, skilled or motivated, rather than be a blessing to the society, they become a curse,” he noted.
    He remarked: “We are concerned that our youths must remain a resource and not a curse to our region. That is why we are partnering with universities and higher institutions in the Niger Delta region to educate and produce some of the best minds the country will have to offer.”
    Senator Ndom-Egba said that the NDDC was making efforts to ensure that all on-going projects in the universities in the Niger Delta states were completed, especially in the University of Calabar being one of the oldest universities in the South-South.
    The NDDC board Chairman assured the UNICAL VC, that the Faculty of Law building which was on-going, would not only be completed, but would also be furnished, and would stand out to be one of the best Faculties in the country.
    Earlier in his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL, Prof. Akpagu, thanked the Commission for all its interventions in his University and all other universities in the Niger Delta.
     He appealed to the Commission to intervene in its building of an Ultra Modem Medical Center, noting that since the inception of the university in 1975, the Centre had operated from a 4-room apartment, but with the current population of 46,000 students, the facility had become grossly inadequate.
    He also pleaded with the Commission for a massive expansion, stating that UNICAL was the only Second Generation University without an Engineering Faculty.
     He further pleaded for a provision of a Proper Senate building, stressing that the current Senate building was built to accommodate 5 Senate members, but the School had grown and currently had 450 Senate members.
  • Ogbia-Nembe road ready in November, says NDDC

    Ogbia-Nembe road ready in November, says NDDC

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has assured leaders of Nembe Se Congress that the commission will complete the 25.7-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road in November.

    NDDC’s Managing Director Mr. Nsima Ekere told a delegation of Nembe leaders, who visited the commission in Port Harcourt, that the project executed by NDDC and Shell Petroleum Development Company, (SPDC), was almost ready.

    Ekere said: “Our projection is that by November, the project will be inaugurated.

    ”The Ogbia-Nembe Road is important to NDDC. It is key because it is the hallmark of our partnership with Shell. We must ensure that this project is completed to serve as a flagship for other collaborations.”

    The NDDC chief said besides this, the commission also partnered Ondo State to build the 50-kilometre Akodo-Araromi/Ibeju-Lekki Road, connecting Ondo and Lagos states.

    Ekere said the commission was discussing with SETRACO, which is handling the Ogbia-Nembe Road, to resume as soon as possible.

    “SETRACO had complained that their major concern was the weather. It doesn’t want to asphalt during the rainy season. So, it is waiting for the rains to subside before remobilising to site to complete the remaining section,” he said.

    On extension of the road from Nembe to Brass, he said NDDC was hampered by funds.

    “When our funding improves, we will take on the project,” he promised.

    Ekere noted that NDDC has  huge liabilities, with efforts to reduce the number of projects.

    He added: ”We have reduced  new projects in our budgets to enable us compete ongoing ones. We have tried to prioritise them to enable us deliver on more critical ones.”

    Earlier, Vice Chairman of Nembe Se Congress Dr. Ebinyo Young-Dede said they were awaiting completion of the Ogbia-Nembe Road and commencement of work on the Nembe-Brass section.

    Dr. Young-Dede said they were at NDDC to discuss details of making Nembe-Brass Road a reality, adding that the project will stimulate development in the remotest parts of Niger Delta.

    He said the congress had maintained a persistent and constructive engagement with NDDC, resulting in the Ogbia-Nembe Road, with extensions into Ogbolomabiri and Bassambiri.

    Dr. Young-Dede noted: “The Ogbia-Nembe road has reached an advanced stage and already serving communities.  While we have shown our gratitude, we are also concerned that a project,  contracted over 10 years ago, is yet to be completed.”

  • NDDC Pledges Support for Niger Delta Universities

    NDDC Pledges Support for Niger Delta Universities

    The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has stated its resolve to support the development of infrastructure in universities and polytechnics across the Niger Delta.
    The Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba stated this during a courtesy visit by the Vice Chancellor of University of Calabar [UNICAL], Prof. Zana Itiunbe Akpagu, at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
    Senator Ndoma-Egba said that the main resource of any society could be found in its youths and not the natural resources or minerals. For this reason, he said, the youths must be skilled, motivated, educated and empowered. “If the youths are not properly educated, skilled or motivated, rather than be a blessing to the society, they become a curse,” he noted.
    He remarked: “We are concerned that our youths must remain a resource and not a curse to our region. That is why we are partnering with universities and higher institutions in the Niger Delta region to educate and produce some of the best minds the country will have to offer.”
    Senator Ndom-Egba said that the NDDC was making efforts to ensure that all on-going projects in the universities in the Niger Delta states were completed, especially in the University of Calabar being one of the oldest universities in the South-South.
    The NDDC board Chairman assured the UNICAL VC, that the Faculty of Law building which was on-going, would not only be completed, but would also be furnished, and would stand out to be one of the best Faculties in the country.
    Earlier in his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of UNICAL, Prof. Akpagu, thanked the Commission for all its interventions in his University and all other universities in the Niger Delta.
     He appealed to the Commission to intervene in its building of an Ultra Modem Medical Center, noting that since the inception of the university in 1975, the Centre had operated from a 4-room apartment, but with the current population of 46,000 students, the facility had become grossly inadequate.
    He also pleaded with the Commission for a massive expansion, stating that UNICAL was the only Second Generation University without an Engineering Faculty.
     He further pleaded for a provision of a Proper Senate building, stressing that the current Senate building was built to accommodate 5 Senate members, but the School had grown and currently had 450 Senate members.
  • Akeredolu excited by NDDC’s new approach to development

    Akeredolu excited by NDDC’s new approach to development

    Ondo State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has hailed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for adopting a pragmatic approach to the development of Niger Delta.

    The governor spoke yesterday at the second National Council on Niger Delta, organised by the Ministry of Niger Delta, in conjunction with the state government, at the International Centre for Culture and Events in Akure, the state capital.

    He praised the NDDC for re-appraising its approach and focus on a few key projects to be completed expeditiously.

    Akeredolu noted that by setting its priorities right, the commission will be able to effectively tackle abandoned projects.

    The governor recalled the history of development interventions in the oil producing areas and praised past administrations for transforming the region’s physical and economic landscape.

    According to him, the past engagements have yielded positive results, although marginal.

    Akeredolu said: “We must, however, not fail to mention the glaring facts of grinding and relentless poverty, which has been the lot of the region.”

    The governor regretted what he called gross infrastructural deficit and security challenges in Niger Delta.

    He said: “This region presents a cruel paradox: the country depends on it almost entirely for sustenance. It, however, lacks evidence of development, depicting its status as the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg.”

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo described the Niger Delta as a unique region with many challenges. He said the region did not need sympathy, adding that it requires action to improve the lives of the people.

    Osinbajo said: “This is not optional.”

    He assured that President Muhammadu Buhari will ensure justice, peace and equity for Niger Delta resident.

    According to him, the region deserves to benefit from its immense natural resources.

    Osinbajo added: We have invigorated the NDDC to make it more effective. It is re-assuring that the commission is now putting pressure on its contractors to deliver on projects. He specifically recognised efforts of the Chairman of NDDC, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, and Managing Director, Mr. Nsima Ekere, at driving development in the region.

    The Vice President restated  the Federal Government’s resolve to support the building of modular refineries in the Niger Delta, saying many of the licences given for the refineries expired while the owners were still sourcing funds.

    He added: “We have released guidelines for the refineries and we are committed to it. We expect the state governments to work with the local communities to make the efforts successful.

    Osinbajo said the Federal Government approved N2 billion for next month’s take-off of the Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Delta State.

    The Vice President urged stakeholders in the oil sector and oil producing areas to effectively use the proceeds from oil to develop their environment.

    Osinbajo said the world was oil as source of energy.

    He noted that many countries were developing alternatives to oil, saying: “The future of oil is in decline, which is why it is the duty of stakeholders to explore opportunities now and ensure that government is not constantly battling with the security of pipelines. We should use the resources to develop other potential of the region.

     

  • Protesting students blast Bayelsa NDDC for non-performance 

    Hundreds of protesting Bayelsa State students, yesterday, stormed the state’s office of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Yenagoa, accusing its management of failing Bayelsa.

    Angry youths, under the auspices of National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS), disrupted traffic on the Melford Okilo Expressway in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The placard-carrying protesters padlocked the commission’s office, angry that no senior employee was available to address them.

    The padlock was, however, broken by a patrol team, shortly after they left the place.

    NUBSS President Fredrick Importance said those managing the commission’s office in the state  lacked understanding of the plight of Bayelsa.

    He said they tried in vain to see the management, also sending letters, before embarking on the protest.

    “Our grievance is that NDDC in Bayelsa State isn’t functioning. It has failed to address issues of development  and welfare of Bayelsa students.

    ‘’Niger Delta cannot tell us that in their projects, provisions are not made for the educational sector.

    “There can’t be development in the region without working the educational sector. We are demanding that if NDDC isn’t ready to serve Bayelsans, they should resign and leave for those who want to work. They are never here.

    “Their office is always empty, with only junior workers. NDDC Bayelsa is not functioning. They should be dissolved. We call on the state government to dissolve it. They are not contributing anything towards development or education”.

    Importance said he saw a write-up claiming falsely that NDDC had 8,000 projects in the state.

    Also speaking, an Ijaw youth leader, Mr. Moshima Lokpobiri, said they never met key officials of Bayelsa NDDC in their offices.

    He said: “NDDC is doing nothing in this state. Go to other states, their offices are busy but the case of Bayelsa is different.

    “Despite letters seeking audience, we were never attended to or replied. We are never recognised or acknowledged. Bayelsa students have been neglected.

    “This protest is a signal to the Federal Government that the NDDC in Bayelsa isn’t working and the next time we come, it will be worse than this.

    “Other states organise programmes for their students and youths, but it is different in Bayelsa State”.

    He called on the representative of Bayelsa on NDDC to address these issues to avert further protest.

    Efforts by a female worker to address them were rebuffed by the protesters, who said they won’t hear from a junior employee.

    Also, the students took their protest to the Office of Commissioner for Education, Mr. Markson Fefegha, and appealed to the government to pay their bursaries.

    But the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Felix Odugo, said their request would be given attention.