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Tag: NDDC

  • 2017 budget funding: How to avoid borrowing – Timi Alaibe

    2017 budget funding: How to avoid borrowing – Timi Alaibe

    A former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Chief Timi Alaibe was Monday confident that if efforts are stepped up to restore relative peace, safety and security in the Niger Delta, the nation may not resort to huge external borrowing to fund the 2017 budget.

    He spoke in Abuja as a guest on Thisday Live, a breakfast programme on Arise Television, Chief Alaibe who was also the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, blamed the continuing restiveness in the Niger Delta on the glaring failure of successive Federal Government’s of Nigeria to follow through with the Niger Delta Master Plan that was commissioned by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and executed by the NDDC while he served as the Commission’s Managing Director.

    His words: “There is really nothing new to be said about the situation in the Niger Delta. All that needs to be said and all that we need to do and where we need to do them are succinctly captured in the Niger Delta Master Plan. If you have massive infrastructure, if you have good roads and bridges to open up the Niger Delta you will not have the recurrence of incidences of militancy in the region.

    “After President Obasanjo left office, I had the opportunity of briefing President Yar’Adua severally on the Master Plan and parts of the briefing led to the Amnesty Proclamation and the Presidential Amnesty Programme for the Niger Delta under Yar’Adua but unfortunately Yar’Adua died and the processes were not followed through after his death.”

    The former NDDC boss said the Amnesty Programme derailed when the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan curiously stopped at the implementation of just one component of the Amnesty Programme.

    According to him, the amnesty Programme was modeled to focus on five main areas.

    Aliabe said that: What you refer to as the Amnesty Programme today was originally designed to have five broad areas of focus, namely the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) of ex-agitators who accepted the offer of Amnesty; there was the Infrastructure development component which was supposed to address the huge infrastructure deficit in the zone; there was the Environmental Remediation component, which was to address the much needed clean-up of communities that have for decades suffered pollution and other environmental challenges stemming from the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas; there was an aspect that was supposed to help work out ways communities can have stakes in oil and gas exploration and production and of course aspects of the original Amnesty Package offered communities the opportunity to gainfully participate in pipeline surveillance and protection. The opportunities were huge but the past administration implemented just the DDR component,” Alaibe posited.

    He however lauded the efforts of the current administration to prioritize the restoration of sustainable peace and development in the Niger Delta.

    Extolling the present administration on the choice to maintain peace in the Niger Delta, he described the Acting President, Yemi Osibanjo’s consistent visits to the region as a step in the right direction.

    Aliabe said that: “We really may not have to resort to heavy external borrowing to fund the 2017 budget once the right steps are taken by the administration in the Niger Delta. It is in this light that I commend the on-going peace and fact-finding shuttle of the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to States and communities in the Niger Delta. It is a very good thing and it is an indication that this administration is keen on working with leaders of the region to implement the 16-point agenda for the Niger Delta submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari late last year.

    “The N7.2 trillion 2017 Federal Budget is currently being considered by the National Assembly. The budget is largely predicated on earnings from crude oil that is benchmarked by an OPEC quota of 2.2 Million Barrels Per Day. Energy experts however worry that this projection may be a far cry given that for most of 2016, Nigeria did not produce up to 2 million barrels per day due largely to restiveness in the Niger Delta. Like most leaders of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Alaibe believes that the commencement of the implementation of the 16-point agenda submitted to President Buhari would mark a remarkable change of situation in the Niger Delta. “What is needed is sincerity of purpose and the peoples trust would be easily earned.”

  • Protesting Ondo youths seal off NDDC office

    Protesting Ondo youths seal off NDDC office

    Some protesting youths on Wednesday sealed off the office of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) at  ‎Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje local government area of Ondo State following the failure of the Federal government to appoint a representative from the state on the NDDC board.
    The youths, in their hundreds and ‎who are under the aegis of Niger Delta Youth Movement (NDYM) placed palm fonts at the entrance of the NDDC gate.
    They also carried various placards with different inscriptions such as: ‎”Ondo state has been marginalised in NDDC board”, “No Ondo State in NDDC board, no peace in the Niger Delta area”, “Mr President, We need our Representative in the NDDC board now,” “Youth neglection: Causes of Robbery, Insurgency‎” among others.
    The NDYM coordinator, Mr  Alaba Adetoye Agbejoye, while addressing reporters, said with a robust agenda of APC led federal government and clear cut vision of President Mohammadu Buhari, it’s is regrettable that people who suppose to be real drivers of change are now agents of doom, inflicting pain and hardship on the people. 
    Agbetoye lamented that NDDC that has been producing relief to the people has completely deviated from its original purpose of bringing development to the people. 
    He called on the Acting President to as a matter of urgency appoint an indigene of the oil producing area in the state to fill the vacuum of Ondo State representative in the board of NDDC in the interest of equity and fairness. 
    Agbetoye lamented that the state has always been treated as a non-member of Niger Delta areas.
    He added that the oil producing areas in the state had been in a total blackout for seven years without any intervention from the government.
    He stressed further that all the projects in the area had been abandoned and there was no new project in the area, 
    He said: “We cannot continue in all these travails, being enslaved as if we are not part of Niger Delta region.
    “We are aware of some money released for Christmas for us but nothing has been given to us in Ondo State and we are graduates without work.”
    He, therefore, threatened that the youth movement would fall back to violence and disruption of oil pipeline vandalism if Federal Government could not meet its demand within seven days.
    His words: “Worrisome is the great level of corruption, inequality and injustice going on at the head office in the Port Harcourt. The commission has now been characterised by an unholy coalition between contractors and NDDC staff to deprive the people of the region their rights. 
    “In Ondo State, 85 percent of the yearly budget are either uncompleted or abandoned.  For three years now, no meaningful programme for the youths of the area. 
    “The vacuum created by non-appointment of Ondo State representative in the board has widened the extent of marginalisation of Ondo State in the last 2 months by the new board. 
    “The situation of sitting at the top and sharing the money will no longer be tolerated.  We will not fold our hand while the marginalisation continues in Port Harcourt.”
    Reacting, the state Director of NDDC, Engineer Emmanuel Audu, who spoke with our correspondent on phone said,  the delayed projects were caused by underfunding.
    Audu said that NDDC was already building power terminal to be connected with Omotosho Power grid, saying the project was ongoing to ensure power supply to the area.
    He added that NDDC in the state did not receive any money for Christmas for the movement, noting that the commission’s aim was even development of the area.
  • ‘NDDC got N135b, $1.1b from Shell, SNEPCo’

    ‘NDDC got N135b, $1.1b from Shell, SNEPCo’

    The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and its subsidiary, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) have contributed over N.3 trillion to the development of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) since it was established.

    Its General Manager, ER Nigeria and West Africa, Me Igo Weli, disclosed this in a presentation during a  three-day retreat of the NDDC in Onne, Rivers State.

    He said, Shell has made  “N135 billion and $1.1 billion contribution from inception to date.”

    Besides, Mr Weli said SPDC and SNEPCo carry out project/activity specific partnership and collaboration with the commission, adding that the ongoing Ogba/Nembutal Road was one of them.

    The revelation by the oil major came against the backdrop of allegations of underfunding of the NDDC by International Oil Companies (IOCs), including SPDC.

    Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP) representing Delta North district and Chairman, Senate Committee on the NDDC had accused the IOCs of flouting Nigerian laws by failing to comply with their responsibilities under the NDDC Act.

    Nwaoboshi, at the retreat, vowed that the Senate would work to ensure that the IOCs pay the commission all its dues.

    However, Weli expressed dismay at the allegations, particularly against Shell, stressing that apart from a joint reconciliation of its payments every two years, the company was subject to separate interrogations by the National Assembly.

    He said rather than underfunding, the problem with NDDC was mismanagement and inability of indigenes of oil communities to get their fair share of its projects.

    Weli said there was need to make all contributions count, wondering: “if nothing changes in the way we manage ourselves, what will the Niger Delta look like in 20 years?”

    He particularly lamented the IOCs’ limited opportunities to make inputs into the annual work programme/budget of the NDDC in spite of their contributions to its funding.

    He said there was also the challenges of transparency/accountability on NDDC support projects; NDDC outstanding obligations to consultants on live wire programme, the Ogbia/Nember road and administrative delay in remitting payments to contractors.

  • MD: NDDC owes N1.2tn

    MD: NDDC owes N1.2tn

    The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Nsima Ekere, has lamented the N1.2 trillion debt burden facing the new management of the commission.

    To the MD, the over $40billion received by the region in the past 10 years was frittered away.

    He said the NDDC must now find a way around the huge debt owed by the past board while  carrying out  projects  to meet the aspirations of the people.

    “With about N1.2 trillion of the contingent liabilities on its balance sheet, NDDC needs to find ways to free funds for urgent development projects and programmes,” he said.

    On the fund that has accrued to the commission in the past, he said: ”There is little evidence to show for the sums spent.”

    Delivering a paper titled, ”Dangerous Beasts and How to Tame Them: The 4-R Strategy” at an NDDC three-day retreat held at Onne, Rivers State at the weekend, the NDDC MD urged collaboration among stakeholders to achieve sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

    He decried failure to implement the Niger Delta Master Plan, which originally required $50bn over a 15-year period, even though past management received 80percent ($40bn) of the cost.

    As part of effort to shore up fund to deliver on its mandate, Ekere said management would review over-invoiced projects, determine wrongly procured contracts and recover mobilisation from abandoned projects

    “We will also recover excess bank charges, recover outstanding IOC contributions and reschedule payment of outstanding statutory contributions of the Federal Government,” he added.

    He called for collaboration among stakeholders to achieve sustainable development in the Niger Delta, adding that the NDDC Governance and Reform Project (NGRP) will “catalyse the irreversible reform of the NDDC by enforcing compliance with rules and regulations.”

    The Senate has vowed to ensure that oil companies operating in the countries carry out their functions in strict compliance with the Nigerian constitutions, particularly as it affects development of the oil-bearing communities.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, made the vow  in his goodwill message during the retreat.

    He said the NDDC is very important to the region, stressing that the senate would do everything within its powers to ensure that oil companies live up to their responsibilities to the commission and the people of the Niger Delts through adequate funding of NDDC.

    He said, “The Senate Committee will do everything within its power to ensure that you (oil companies) obey the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “If you respect the laws of the country from which you are coming from, I don’t see why you cannot obey the laws of our country.”

  • NDDC rides on new vision and steam

    NDDC rides on new vision and steam

    On Thursday, January 26, the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, held its inaugural meeting at the commission’s headquarters, to begin a robust and vigorous implementation of its vision for Niger Delta development. It is not the first time the board would be meeting.
    Earlier in November 2016, they had held an extra-ordinary meeting where far-reaching decisions were taken and the commitment to develop new strategies, within old platforms of engagement, was affirmed. Within this commitment is what the board calls the 4-R Initiative. Rising from that Abuja meeting, the board’s chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, had reassured it would not be business as usual and everything would be done within law, within budget and pursuant to its mandate, to change public perception of the 16-year-old interventionist agency and set forth a new narrative.
    “The Commission has not had the most edifying of public images,” Senator Ndoma-Egba said, “and that is because the procurement processes were opaque. That is why many contributors to the NDDC fund are in arrears. We will persuade those who are in arrears to pay and one of the easiest ways of getting them to pay is by ensuring that our processes were transparent.”
    At the meeting in Port Harcourt, the 4-R Initiative was expanded into a 21-Point agenda, in which the board reaffirmed the commitment to making the commission’s systems and processes more transparent for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region. Senator Ndoma-Egba reiterated that it was imperative to create opportunities “for public participation to engender confidence in the activities of the commission by all stakeholders in the region.”
    Other points in the agenda include curtailing the indiscriminate award of contracts in the commission and that the board’s approval must be obtained for all procurement of projects and programmes. He said: “The board must adopt policies that would moderate or streamline the number of new procurements in the commission, given that as at today, NDDC has over 9000 (nine thousand)ongoing projects, most of which are experiencing funding, implementation and other challenges.
    “The board must determine the status of ongoing projects and programmes and put in place a mechanism to re-evaluate the viability of some projects, revise the scope of others, re-negotiate the cost of some and relocate or merge others, as well as evolve a strategy for settling verified debts.”
    Now, the journey towards the Niger Delta, promised in the NDDC Act of 2000, cranks into new gear. And to drive its implementation is the commission’s managing director and chief executive officer, Mr. Nsima Ekere, a man of uncommon vision, proven track record of achievement, humility and known commitment to ideals and improving the living conditions of the people of the Niger Delta and beyond.
    “We would have to do things differently,” Nsima Ekere says, “to improve the transparency of our processes, leverage technology to increase accountability and efficiency, consult stakeholders frequently, engage proactively and be creative about the programmes that we design, to uplift the people and the region.”
    Mr. Ekere, who comes with a rich pedigree in public administration, is brimming with energy, enthusiasm and ideas and gradually, they are beginning to crystalize into operational models for the transformation of the Niger Delta of over 40 million people, spread across 40 ethnic groups speaking 250 languages and dialects.
    At the core of the new thinking at the NDDC is a compass for change articulated by the governing board, anchored on restructuring the commission’s balance sheet, reforming the governance protocols, restoring the commission’s core mandate and reaffirming its commitment to doing what is right and proper.
    Ndoma-Egba, former Senate Leader, leads a field of high caliber professionals with track record of achievements, whose antecedents are already giving hope and confidence to many people in the region. It also heightens expectations.
    One of those who have expressed confidence in the team is Mr. Clement Ebri, a former Governor of Cross River State, who declared: “Ndoma-Egba and Nsima Ekere have the requisite experience required to perform creditably. I think we should be expecting a lot of development of infrastructure in the entire nine states of the Niger Delta. I have confidence that under their watch, every part of the region will witness tremendous development.”
    Since inauguration on November 4, 2016, the board has been engaging with stakeholders and familiarising itself with existing programmes and projects. And at each visit, new commitments are made to ensure that the new path being fashioned for the commission becomes clearer and is strengthened. And Mr. Ekere has also taken the opportunity to reflect on what must be done.
    While visiting the new headquarters of the commission, the managing director pointed out that the completion rate of NDDC projects was not encouraging. “I remember that shortly after our appointment, I met with some international funding partners and other stakeholders and everybody seem to be very concerned about the state of abandoned projects in the region.”
    Then he declared: “It is important to determine to determine the projects that the commission could afford to complete, depending on the ones that have the highest impact on communities. I don’t believe that there is any sense in starting a thousand projects and completing only one. So we will check the number of new projects and then concentrate on completing on-going ones. We want to complete our projects.”
    One of such projects is the 23.5-kilometre Otuasega – Obedum – Emelego road and bridges linking Bayelsa and Rivers states, through some of the Niger Delta’s more fertile lands. The opportunities and possibilities the road presents are enormous for the regional economy. Besides reducing the time of travel tremendously, the rich agricultural produce of the area will find an easier route for evacuation to bigger markets. That portends more socio-economic activities and wealth for the region’s predominantly farmer population, and improved livelihoods. That fits quite well within the global concept for sustainable development, and helps in the new board’s determination to restore the commission’s core mandate.
    Other such physical infrastructure abound, crying for attention. And that is what the NDDC, under its new leadership, is determined to do, underlying its mantra to make a difference in the Niger Delta, a region with a long history of false starts and failed promises. This time, with Nsima Ekere and the management piloting affairs, there is a stronger reason to hope. And the governing board just set the tone.

    •Amu-Nnadi is Head, Corporate Affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

  • Ndoma-Egba: NDDC isn’t contract-awarding agency

    Ndoma-Egba: NDDC isn’t contract-awarding agency

    The Governing Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has reaffirmed its commitment to make its systems and processes more transparent for sustainable development in the Niger Delta region.

    The board said NDDC is not a contract-awarding agency, as being misconstrued in some quarters, but an interventionist agency for the Niger Delta region.

    The Federal Government’s interventionist agency outlined these in its 21-Point Focus during the board’s inaugural meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

    The commission’s chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, noted that it was imperative to create opportunities “for public participation to engender confidence in the activities of the commission by all stakeholders in the region”.

    Other points, Ndoma-Egba said, included curtailing the indiscriminate award of contracts and the need for the board’s approval for procurement of projects and programmes.

    He said: “The board must adopt policies that would moderate or streamline the number of new procurements in the commission, given that as at today, NDDC has over 9,000 ongoing projects, most of which are experiencing funding, implementation and other challenges.

    “The board must determine the status of each of the ongoing projects and programmes and put in place a mechanism to re-evaluate the viability of some projects, revise the scope of others, renegotiate the cost of some and relocate or merge others as well as evolve a strategy for settling verified debts.”

    The NDDC chairman noted that because of paucity of funds, it was inevitable to prioritise projects and programmes, adding: “Deliberate efforts must be made to determine the number of projects that can be focused upon and quickly completed.

    “As a matter of urgency, the corporate headquarters building of NDDC and the remaining state office buildings must be given serious attention by the board.”

    The board also said:

    • Appointments and postings of workers must be based on equity, competence and determinable criteria.
    • NDDC will build synergy with all critical stakeholders, especially the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), development partners and security agencies, among others.
    • Efforts must be made to implement an NDDC master plan; ad hoc, “short-term” solutions have proved unsustainable.
    • NDDC to transparently and strategically engage critical stakeholders: governors, Houses of Assembly, the workers, traditional rulers, oil firms, youths (including the agitators) women, the disabled, environmental right activists, etc. Efficient collaboration will make the commission an actual development agency instead of its present perception as a contract-awarding commission.
    • Private sector participation to be encouraged in various developmental activities while development partners will be engaged to ensure delivery of relevant projects in the Niger Delta region.
    • Involvement of the communities in the sustainable clean-up of the environment. Traditional and community leaders must be educated on the menace of pipeline vandalism and its effect on the environment. Communities have to be encouraged on proper waste management and the impact on the economy. The commission will identify beneficial ways of converting waste to wealth.
    • Addressing security concerns will be critical to achieving the mandate of the commission. The Security Agencies must be continually encouraged, as security is needed for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta. Traditional ways of justice administration and alternative dispute resolution may be adopted in some cases rather than relying on force at all times, to redress misconduct. People in the informal economy have to be identified and catered for.  We must put in place a pragmatic youth empowerment policy which will enable the area’s youth to discover their talents and live useful lives.  Training and retraining of the youths will continue to benefit the region. Appropriate training modules have to be identified for training the youth of the Region.  This will be in consultation with the Amnesty office and development partners.  This will improve stability and assure potential investors, local and foreign of the safety of their investment.
    • Empowerment of the indigenes has to be sustainable, based on needs assessment. Enhancing the position of women is also very important. Creating opportunities for women will help in addressing their needs and recognise their role in the community as peace makers.
    • Appropriate medical facilities and personnel will be deployed for the well being of the people of the region. Trained and qualified manpower will be assembled to attend to individual and specific health needs of the various communities.
    • Corporate social responsibilities of International and National oil companies have to benefit the people. These companies will be encouraged to improve their relationship with the host communities under the coordination of a unit of the Commission;
    • mprove transportation infrastructure by providing alternative and cheaper means for efficient movement of people and goods.
    • Work with relevant agencies of government and the private sector to provide appropriate, alternative and reliable supply of Electricity to the communities especially those of the hinterland in the region;
    • Review the scholarship programme to improve local content.
    • Sports development will be encouraged to give our youths a sense of competitiveness.

    Ndoma-Egba reiterated the need to win the confidence of stakeholders in the commission’s development plan, adding that changing the fortunes of the Niger Delta and improving the living conditions of the people rested with everyone.

     

  • Wike to NDDC: Focus on development

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has called on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to focus on the development of the region, instead of being involved in partisan politics.

    Speaking at the Government House, Port Harcourt, when he granted audience to the Governing Board of the NDDC, Governor Wike said it will be counterproductive if NDDC continues to operate like a political party.

    He noted that development in the Niger Delta has been stunted because of the politicisation of the activities of NDDC, which makes it difficult for the commission to focus on its core mandate.

    “It is worrisome that NDDC is trying to politicise the execution of projects and this will not help the development of the region.”

    He assured the NDDC of the support of the Rivers State Government in the delivery of the development goals.

    Earlier, the Chairman of the Board of the NDDC, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, informed that the new board will change the narrative of the NDDC by making the commission functional and responsive to the needs of the Niger Delta.

    The NDDC Chairman who was accompanied by the Managing Director, Mr Nsima Ekere, and other board members, said that all organs of the commission will be activated, while Niger Delta State Governors will be more involved in the commission’s activities.

  • NDDC: Does Ekere’s morning tells the day?

    NDDC: Does Ekere’s morning tells the day?

    The mandate of the Niger Delta Development Commission is overwhelming, daunting and challenging…This report highlights the course its new helmsman, Nsima Ekere, is charting to tackle the challenges.

    Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Managing Director, Nsima Ekere’s expose on the state of finances of the commission and its operation in the last twenty years, clearly shows how daunting the task of fulfilling the mandate of the commission has been.

    Ekere had said, after an extra-ordinary meeting of the board shortly after its inauguration, “We have liabilities that run into well over a trillion naira. We will look at the projects that have given rise to this liability. Then, we will vet them and see which projects we can go ahead with and those we will discontinue because some of these projects were even not properly awarded in the first place.

    “By the time we carry out the auditing, it will help us. Then of course, the audit will enable us to bring NDDC back to its core mandate. We will work along these lines that we have highlighted and make sure that we make some remarkable difference in the lives of the people of the Niger Delta.”

    Other informed sources say the commission is owing contractors over N300 billion.The same sources also say the percentage of job completion hovered around 25 percent and only moved to 41 percent last year

    With this in mind, Ekere, said that henceforth the Commission would ensure that all payments to contractors were tied to bank guarantees. He warned: “We will hold the banks accountable.”

    The MD further stated: “Most of the NDDC advance payments that have been made were based on bank guarantees. What that means is that the bank is guaranteeing the performance of the contractor. So, the first thing we will do will be to go after these banks that guaranteed projects that have failed. We will demand that they give us back our money where the work done doesn’t justify the money that was paid.”

    Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, chairman of the board also regretted that the public images of NDDC had suffered because of the procedures adopted by its procurement unit in the past. “The Commission has not had the most edifying of public images and that is because the procurement processes were opaque,” he said.

    The NDDC Chairman stated that a transparent process would help the Commission to get all its outstanding funds. He said: “We will persuade those who are in arrears to pay and one of the easiest ways of getting them to pay is by ensuring that our processes were transparent. The moment they see a certain level of transparency, it will encourage them to live up to their obligations to the Commission. When the processes are opaque, people will hold back.”

    Giving reasons for the extra-ordinary board meeting, Senator Ndoma-Egba explained that management could only implement policies approved by the board and since they had just taken over, it was necessary to quickly put policies on ground to enable management take off.

    Senator Ndoma-Egba restated his position that the new NDDC board and management would be driven by a regional vision. “If you recall, at the inauguration and handing over ceremonies, I said very clearly, that we will not be competing with local governments because ours is a regional mandate. We have to stick to that regional mandate by spreading development across the region.”

    Beyond the procurement process and projects fine tuning, Ekere has also stated the commitment of the Governing Board and Management to fashion a new path for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.

    Ekere spoke on the day the new Board, took over the reins of the interventionist agency at the NDDC headquarters.

    He said the new NDDC will operate a 4-R Initiative, as a strategic roadmap for development, adding that “this would involve restructuring the balance sheet, reforming the governance protocols, restoring the Commission’s core mandate and reaffirming its commitment to doing what was right and proper.”

    The NDDC boss reaffirmed the need for cooperation in the Niger Delta, stating: “We will work to promote cooperation, collaboration and synergy among stakeholders, such as state and local governments, oil and gas companies, donor agencies, civil society organizations, community-based organizations and other traditional institutions, in order to make regional development a shared vision and common aspiration.

    “We would have to do things differently to improve the transparency of our processes, leverage technology to increase accountability and efficiency, consult stakeholders frequently, engage proactively and be creative about the programmes that we design, to uplift the people and the region.”

    Ekere said the focus of the Commission would be on intervention programmes that would deliver real measurable developmental outcomes for the region and its citizens.

    “Five priorities of NDDC,” he said, “will be to focus on regional development and integration; ecological management and health awareness; stakeholder engagement and work with development partners and NGOs; human capital development and fostering youth engagement as well as developing the non-oil sector to attract new industries.”

    Ekere commended the deep interest shown by  President Muhammadu Buhari in changing the Niger Delta narrative. “The recent engagements with leaders and stakeholders of the region, the inauguration of a new Board, the transfer of oversight responsibility over the Commission to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Lagos-Calabar rail link project. These are significant actions that are bound to impact the region positively,” Ekere said.

    He noted that the new board was starting at a critical time for the region and the country, highlighting reduced revenues resulting from the combined effect of decline in global oil prices and the crippling economic sabotage of Nigeria’s oil production activities.

    According to him, “NDDC needs to look to innovative and more efficient ways of doing things. We need to find new partners to help execute our mandate for the Niger Delta; strengthen existing relationships to ensure that all stakeholders are working towards common goals and promote the peace that is necessary for the development of the region.”

    At the same function,the Chairman of the board, Senator Ndoma-Egba, remarked that the NDDC was the first to get a full board under the current administration of the All Progressive Congress, APC, saying, for this reason, the NDDC should be guided by the principles of change being espoused by the Federal Government.

    He said: “Things will be done differently because circumstance have changed. The economy is now more challenging and when the times are changing you must get more innovative. We must cut excesses. So, we must be leaner. Our books must be cleaned up. Our projects must be properly supervised and processes, must be audited. Our finances must be audited so that we are lean and efficient.

    “The times are different and we must change with the times. We must be creative and more efficient. I will chose the part of history that brought change. I will not be part of the group that would want to remain with the status quo.”

    Senator Ndoma-Egba assured that the Commission would design programmes and projects to engage the young men and women of the region to ensure that they were gainfully employed, stating: “We will teach them how to fish.”

    He regretted that the NDDC is perceived in some quarters as a contract awarding factory. “We must rebrand. We mush refocus. We are determined to change the story in the NDDC,” he declared.

    For the board, it is not all talk. Ekere has started walking the talk by visiting priority projects.

    At the site of one of them, the 12-floor permanent headquarters of the Commission in Port Harcourt, Ekere said the building will be ready for inauguration by President Muhammadu Buhari before the end of next year.

    Leading the Executive Director Projects, Engr. Samuel Adiogbe, the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Mr. Mene Derek and other directors of the Commission around the building, Ekere said that the Commission would set up a taskforce to be headed by the Executive Director Projects to ensure that the project was completed before the target date, adding that he would like to have the privilege of inviting Mr. President to inaugurate the new building.

    The NDDC Chief Executive Officer frowned at a situation where the Commission’s projects were unduly delayed. He said: “I think it is sad that a project that started 20 years ago is yet to be completed and we are still talking about site inspection. A child that was born when this building started is almost through with university education by now. So, it’s very sad that we are inspecting a project 20 years after commencement. We will look at what the issues are, including contractor’s capacity to deliver on this project.

    “This project must be completed on time and I will not condone non-performance by our contractors.”

    Ekere remarked that the completion rate of NDDC projects all over the region was not very encouraging. “I remember that shortly after our appointment, I met with some International funding partners and other stakeholders and everybody seem to be very concerned about the state of abandoned projects in the region,” he said.

    The MD said that the Commission was already carrying out “a couple of audits because we need to agree on the way forward in terms of prioritizing the projects.” He said that it was important to determine the projects that the Commission could afford to complete, depending on the ones that have the highest impact on communities.

    Ekere declared: “I don’t believe that there is any sense in starting a thousand projects and completing only one. So we will check the number of new projects and then concentrate on completing on-going ones. We want to complete our projects.”

    The NDDC boss said that henceforth all projects being executed by the Commission would be covered by bank guarantees. “Our legal department will prepare agreement performance guarantees and further payments for projects will be guided by such agreements,” he said.

    The NDDC Executive Director Finance and Administration, noted that the contractor did not manage the financial resources available to him well. He stated that more than 90 per cent of the funds had been released by the Commission.

    The NDDC Head of Project Monitoring Services,  Felix Aomreore, said the headquarters complex, which was initiated by the defunct Oil Minerals Producing Area Development Commission, OMPADEC, was initially conceived to be 14 floors.

    He said that from the assessment of his directorate, the project had achieved 60 per cent completion. He explained that the headquarters complex would include other ancillary facilities such as a medical centre, car park, restaurant, bank, among others.

    The project coordinator, Felix Darko, assured the NDDC directors that they were working according to schedule and set standards. He said that the contractors involved in the project were determined to complete the multi-storey building on time.

    He said that all the service equipment for the main building was already on the site waiting for installation. Other electrical equipment such as lifts and escalators are also on ground.

    Ekere has also visited state offices like Cross River State, where he reiterated the commitment of the current board and management of the commission to improve the lives of the peoples of the Niger Delta area.

    “The current NDDC board remains committed to all stakeholders in the Niger Delta area through our dedication to ensuring that the original mandate of the NDDC is effectively and properly implemented,” he said.

    Stakeholders are happy with the new board’s body language. Coordinating Secretary, Partners for Peace and Progress in the Niger Delta, Nkeneke Efo, says the group is mobilising youths of the region to support the new management to ensure “there is an atmosphere of peace and tranquility throughout the region for the management and board to concentrate on the delivery of its core mandate, that of improving the lives and situations of the people and communities of the region”

    Efo said the group believes the new team is serious in its duties.

    “The new team is a serious one, they started work almost immediately. As new managing director, Obong Nsima Ekere had the luxurious opportunity to take a two weeks break in the name of studying files. But what did he do? He started work immediately. By his speeches, there is excitement and expectations that he will set the commission on a new path that will see the mandate of the commission fulfilled”

     

  • Youths seek release of funds to NDDC, others

    Youth leaders in Niger Delta have met at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, under the auspices of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Leaders Council (NDENLC) and deliberated on knotty issues affecting the region.

    They decry the poor funding of agencies created by the Federal Government for the region.

    The leaders said the agencies were not given their fair share of budgetary allocations.

    The meeting was hosted by President, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide Mr. Udengs Eradiri.

    It was attended by leaders of notable Niger Delta ethnic nationalities: Leaders of Urhobo Youth Council (UYC) Terry Obieh; Urhobo Progress Union Esimaje Aweni; Ibibio Youth Council (IYC) Imo Okoko; Efik National Youth (ENY) Capt. Bassey Henshaw, among leaders from Anioma, Ogoni, Edo and others.

    After over four hours, the leaders listed their demands in an eight-point communique.

    They claimed the Niger Delta Develoment Commission (NDDC) was yet to access its 2016 budget.

    According to them, proper funding for NDDC and others is the only inroad to peace in the region.

    Some others denied funding, they said, were Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun; Oil and Gas Polytechnic in Bonny, and Oil and Gas Polytechnic in Ekowe, Bayelsa State.

  • New leadership, new vision at NDDC

    New leadership, new vision at NDDC

    With the appointment and inauguration of the chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and its Managing Director, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and Obong Nsima Ekere, BISI OLANIYI writes that there is a new vista for the interventionist agency of the Federal Government to engender more development in the Niger Delta.

    There is a change in leadership at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Consequent to the appointment of former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and ex-Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Nsima Ekere, as Chairman of the board of the NDDC and Managing Director of the interventionist agency respectively, the baton of leadership changed from its former Acting Managing Director and ex-Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari to the new team.

    Mrs Semenitari was appointed on acting capacity on December 21, last year, by President Muhammadu Buhari to end the rot at the interventionist agency after the sack of the then Managing Director of NDDC, Bassey Dan-Abia from Akwa Ibom State.

    Since his sack, there had been clamour by the people of Akwa Ibom State that one of their own should be appointed as the Managing Director of NDDC to complete the tenure of Dan-Abia.

    In order to ensure justice, President Buhari, on July 21 this year, appointed Obong Nsima Ekere, a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State as the substantive Managing Director, while a former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN), who is indigenous to Cross River State, was appointed as the Chairman of the board of the commission. They were inaugurated four months later, while the handover ceremony held in Port Harcourt on November 7.

    The handover was carnival-like. Family members, relatives, friends, political associates and other well-wishers of the appointees in were in attendance.  Crowd control by policemen and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) was taxing.

    At 10:00 in the morning, Semenitari, in company with some directors and other top officials of NDDC, stood at the main entrance of the corporate headquarters of the commission to welcome Ndoma-Egba and Ekere.

    While speaking during the handover ceremony, Ndoma-Egba declared that Semenitari had a remarkable tenure in NDDC.

    In her remarks, Semenitari praised President Buhari for giving her the privilege to serve her region and country, as well as appointing the crack team of tried, tested and distinguished gentlemen to constitute the board and management of NDDC.

    She reiterated that the setting up of NDDC 16 years ago was in furtherance of the demands of the Niger Delta people for improved and accelerated development.

    She said: “I was determined to make a difference. But by myself, it would have been impossible. So, urged on and supported by the management and staff of the commission, we began our journey to higher standards, higher goals, and better service delivery.

    “When I assumed office the percentage of jobs completed in the commission as at December last year, hovered around 25 per cent. As at September 9, that figure had gone up to 41 per cent and as at today, we are in the 50 per cent range. That is a huge leap and one that I am delighted we were able to achieve. Working with our contractors, we were able to gradually reduce our debts.

    “Today, NDDC jobs are no longer pariah, as banks and other lenders are willing to fund our projects. This is because we have been able to restore confidence in our creditors.”

    Semenitari also stated that things were done differently and new ideas were tried, since her appointment. She called on the management, members of staff, contractors and other stakeholders to give unalloyed support to the new team, by eschewing bitterness, malice, gossip and rancour.

    Semenitari also stated that things were done differently and new ideas were tried, since her appointment. She called on the management, members of staff, contractors and other stakeholders to give unalloyed support to the new team, by eschewing bitterness, malice, gossip and rancour.

    In his address, the Managing Director of NDDC, Obong Ekere reiterated that members of the management and board of the interventionist agency were beginning their assignment at a critical time in the Niger Delta and Nigeria, especially dealing with reduced revenues resulting from the combined effects of decline in global oil prices and the crippling economic sabotage of Nigeria’s oil production activities.

    He noted that NDDC needed to consider innovative and more efficient ways of doing things, find new partners to help execute the mandate for the Niger Delta region, strengthen existing relationships to ensure that all stakeholders were working towards common goals and promote the peace that was necessary for the development of the region.

    Ekere further revealed that NDDC’s oversight responsibility derives from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and now with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, to impact the region effectively, while stressing that the commission is still under the Presidency.

    Ekere said: “The governing board and management of NDDC are committed to fashioning a new path for the commission and it is not the well-worn path that leads to failure, but that one least travelled, which will make us trailblazers for the people of the region.

    “To build a commission we must be proud of, that meets its statutory obligations and mandate, we must restructure the balance sheet, reform the governance protocols, restore our core mandate and re-affirm our collective commitment to doing what is right and proper, as a strategic roadmap for the path we must all walk.

    “We must have to do things differently to improve the transparency of our processes, leverage technology to increase accountability and efficiency, consult stakeholders frequently, engage proactively and be creative about the programmes that we design, to uplift the people and the region.

    “This administration will work to enthrone a management vision that emphasises efficiency, transparency, effective deployment of resources, promotes due process and the quality implementation of projects and programmes.”

    Ekere also stated that his focus would be on intervention programmes that would deliver real measurable developmental outcomes for the Niger Delta region and its citizens, stressing that every NDDC team member had a role to play in moving the commission and the Niger Delta forward through the right vision, hard work and determination.

    Speaking at the event, the new chairman of NDDC, Ndoma-Egba, assured that management and the board of the commission would be on the same page, in the drive to change the song, the story and the narrative of NDDC and the Niger Delta region.

    He stated that emphasis would be placed on transparency, accountability, rule of law and due process, even as he called for support of all the stakeholders.

    Ndoma-Egba said: “The NDDC will be guided by the guiding principles of the President Buhari’s administration, which include transparency, accountability, rule of law and due process. Things will be done differently, because the circumstances have changed. The times are challenging and as the times are challenging, you must get innovative and you must cut excesses. “Our books must be cleaned up. Our projects must be audited. Our processes must be audited. Our personnel must be audited. Our finances must be audited, so that we are clean and efficient. We have only one challenge: to develop the Niger Delta region. We also need to engage the young men and women, by drawing up policies and programmes that teach people how to fish and not giving them fish.

    “Out there, the image of the NDDC is that of contract-awarding outfit. The new board and management of NDDC will work with you (the workers) to effect that change. Embrace the new change agenda. In working together, I believe that we can change the story, the song and the narrative of the Niger Delta.”

    Shortly after the handover, the Chairman of the Rivers State PDP, Chief Felix Obuah, stated that he was happy that the alleged misfortune of having Semenitari as the acting managing director of NDDC ended on November 7, with her handing over.

    Obuah, in an online statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jerry Needam, claimed that the ex-Rivers Commissioner for Information was the worst ever, in NDDC’s history and she allegedly did nothing to the people of Rivers State.

    He said: “Rather than improve on the legacies of the previous managing directors of NDDC, Mrs. Semenitari made politics the fulcrum of her administration and ran the affairs of the commission as an arm of the APC.

    “Bereft of the requisite managerial skills and ignorant of the vision of the commission, Mrs. Semenitari thought the best she could do was to politicise the place (NDDC) and has unfortunately left the commission worse than she met it. There is nothing to show in the state that a Rivers indigene was there as managing director for the period she held sway at the commission.

    “The new management of NDDC should tread with caution, scrutinise the handover notes of Mrs. Semenitari and chart a new course for the commission, with a view to pursuing the mandate and delivering the services for which the commission was established.

    “We have no doubt that the end of Mrs. Semenitari’s leadership of the great commission marks the beginning of the pursuit of the vision and mission for which the commission was founded, which was distorted by Mrs. Semenitari and substituted for APC’s vindictive agenda.”

    Obuah also stated that henceforth, NDDC would be run and managed as a public institution, charged with intervention in development programmes and not an extension of the APC.

    While reacting through her Special Assistant, Media and Communication, Bekee Anyalewechi Semenitari, however, insisted that she delivered on her mandate to reposition NDDC, stressing that the latest attempt to rubbish her record of service was pre-determined, declaring that the campaigns would fail, since her record of service while at the commission was in the open.

    She also revealed that Obuah’s cry was that of a man hunted by conscience, in view of his poorly-executed, multi-billion Naira students’ hostel project at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), a contract that was awarded to him by her predecessor, Bassey Dan-Abia of Akwa Ibom State.