The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NDDC

  • Group chides critics of NDDC board’s composition

    Group chides critics of NDDC board’s composition

    The Ilaje National Development Initiative (INDI) has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for selecting credible individuals into the governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    The move is a step in the right direction, the group said.

    A statement by its President Thomas Mogbomerun berated critics of the nominations as self-serving opportunists.

    The group said such people spoke for themselves and not residents of the oil producing states.

    President Buhari, last week, forwarded a 17-man list to the Senate for confirmation as members of the interventionist agency’s board.

    Former Senate Leader Victor Ndoma Egba is proposed as Chairman and Mr Nsima Ekere as Managing Director-designate. Nine other nominees are to represent the oil producing states.

    But Nkere’s nomination has come under criticism, even as the Ondo representative and son of first civilian governor, Tokunbo Ajasin, has been rejected by a cross section of Ilaje youths and leaders on the ground that he was not from an oil producing area, being an Owo indigene.

    But INDI flawed the position of the critics, accusing them of an ego trip.

    It said: “This is another ego trip that cannot stand the test of time. To say the least, the orchestrated opposition against the nomination of Ajasin is only the handiwork of self-serving opportunists who are living a warped order that has always worked for them.

    “By this singular nomination, President Buhari has completed the circle of equity, fairness and justice by evenly distributing the ministerial nomination for South, membership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) board for Central and that of the NDDC for the Northern senatorial districts.

  • Protests persists in Ondo over NDDC nominee

    Protests continued yesterday in Akure, the Ondo state capital and Igbokoda, headquarters of the oil producing Ilaje local government area.The protesters were against the nominee for the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC)representative in Ondo state, Tokunbo Ajasin.

    The stakeholders including the Coastal Frontiers (CF)and Coalition of Ondo State Progressives Youth(COPY)among others protested the non-appointment of an Ilaje indigene as commissioner to represent the state on the Board of the Commission.

    The nomination letter has been sent to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki awaiting clearance by the Upper Chamber. Ajasin, the son of the first Executive Governor of Ondo State,late Chief Adekunle Ajasin who is from the upland-Owo, headquarters of Owo local government was picked as the Commissioner representing Ondo on the board of the Commission.

    Besides, the state which is number five on the list of the nine oil- producing states has not been considered for any executive positions in the commission since its establishment. The Coordinator of CF, Nelson Mafo who spoke to reporters said the presidency was planning to create crisis in the peaceful coastal area of Ondo State by allegedly violating the Act of the NDDC particularly as regards appointment of the commissioner representing Ondo State in the

    commission.

    He said :” The NDDC Act clearly stipulates that persons to be appointed as representative of States on NDDC Board shall come from the Oil producing area of such State. According to him”Ilaje local Government is the only local government in the whole south-west of Nigeria that produces oil. Owo local government where the nominee comes from is about 250km away from mandate area.”

    Mafo adds that : “President Buhari should not take our peaceful posture in the oil

    producing area of Ilaje and Ondo State for granted.It is illogical to appoint a non-indigene and complete stranger to the oil producing communities of Ilaje land as the representative of Ondo State on NDDC Board”.

    Mafo explained that from inception, representatives have been chosen or appointed from the mandate area even in the days of Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission(OMPADEC). It demanded for immediate reversal or withdrawal of the nomination of Ajasin as commissioner representing Ondo State on NDDC Board.

    The group coordinator maintained that the action of the presidency was an injustice and act of oppression to the people of Ilaje oil producing area.

    The Ilaje group gave the federal government 48 hours to reverse the appointment of Ajasin as the representative of the state on the Board of the NDDC. Also, the chairman of COPY, Prince Jimi Adekanle wondered why such wrong appointment should have been made in the first. He noted that since the establishment of the interventionist agency, there was no time the lopsided appointment of NDDC Commissioner in Ondo state had been made.

    Adekanle who made reference to the act that established the Commission said only an indigene of the mandate area are eligible to hold the office.He called for the reversal of the name of the nominee especially now that it has not been approved by the senate to prevent violence in Ilaje mandate area and Ondo state as a whole.

  • Buhari urged to give Semenitari time to restructure NDDC

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to give more time to the acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs Ibim Semenitari, to reposition the commission for optimal performances.

    The plea was made by the founder of Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) and former Bayelsa state governorship candidate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), Moses Siloko Siasia,

    According to Siasia, Mrs. Semenitari is championing the restructuring of the commission to meet the yearning of Niger Delta in line with the agenda of the President Buhari-led administration.

    “I will appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to give Mrs. Semenitari more time to complete the restructuring of the commission so that it can contribute meaningfully to the development of the Niger Delta. She is dogged and committed, unbiased and incorruptible in the discharge of her responsibilities,” he said.

    Siasia, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mosilo Group, added that effort by the acting MD of the NDDC is beginning to show in the region by ensuring that projectes awarded by the previous administration are executed.

    “Since she assumed office, there has been a turnaround in the activities of NDDC. She is employing the standardized project management process in the execution of projects. This is in line with President Buhari mantra of change,” he noted.

    Observing that some politicians from Akwa Ibom are already jostling for the post, Siasia urged President Buhari to be mindful of them, stressing that history has shown that the best days of the commission are when technocrats and not career politicians head its affair.

    “Records are there to show that the commission performs well when professionals are engaged to head it, rather than the career politicians. I am sure if the president gives her more time, she will turn the place around and whenever, the president deems it fit to appoint someone from Akwa Ibom, he can look within the commission rather than these career politicians lobbying for the post,” he submitted.

  • NDDC, NLNG square up over 3% remittance

    NDDC, NLNG square up over 3% remittance

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is presently locked in battle with Nigeria LNG Limited over the alleged refusal of the latter to pay three per cent remittance to the Commission as stipulated by the NDDC Act. In this report Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf examines the contentious issues

    For how long can a company actually remain in pioneer status? Should a company enjoy tax holiday in perpetuity? Between profiteering, selfish aggrandisement and nationalism, which should come first? Is the NLNG Act truly an ass?

    These are some of the posers raised by the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission on the one hand and the Nigeria LNG Limited on the other hand as the controversy over the payment of three per cent remittance to the Commission rages.

    Crux of the matter

    At issue is that the NLNG Act states inter alia that the NLNG Ltd, is not a “gas processing company” in the context of the NDDC Act and as such cannot be subject to any new laws, taxes, dues or other obligations enacted or prescribed in Nigeria after 1993, except such laws, taxes or obligations are generally applicable to all companies registered in Nigeria. Thus, it lays claims to a special exemption granted in perpetuity to NLNG Ltd by virtue of Section 9 of and Clauses 2, 3, 6 and 15 of the 2nd Schedule to the Nigeria LNG (Fiscal Incentives, Guarantees and Assurances) Act 2004, previously Decrees Nos. 39 of 1990 and 113 of 1993 (herein also called the “NLNG Act”).

    A case for amendment of NLNG Act

    As to be expected, there have been strident calls for the amendment of the NLNG Act. Naturally, one of those that have mulled the idea of amendment is the NDDC, for obvious reasons.

    In a memorandum submitted by the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari to the House of Representatives Committee on Gas resources at the public hearing on “A Bill for an Act to Amend the NLNG Fiscal Incentives, Guarantees and Assurances Act CAP N87, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004”, held at the National Assembly, Abuja, last April, she said the need to amend the NLNG Act is an idea whose time has come.

    Citing the NDDC Act of 2000, which established the Commission, Semenitari said by the explicit provisions of section 14 (2) (b) of the NDDC Act, “gas processing companies” operating in the region are amongst operators in the petroleum industry specifically required to pay to the NDDC Fund “three per cent” of their annual budgets.

    She, however, regretted that unfortunately, amongst many companies who default on this statutory obligation some by not paying the full amounts, including the Nigeria LNG Ltd, which rakes in profits in excess of over N500bn annually yet has adamantly refused to pay its statutory contributions to NDDC since the establishment of the Commission some 16 years ago.

    The NLNG Act, the NDDC boss declared, “Violates the laws, public policy and national interest of Nigeria in several other ways. NDDC’s direct interest is in highlighting the unconstitutionality of the above cited provisions of the NLNG Act, which the Act purports cannot be amended (by the National Assembly) except with the prior written consent of NLNG Ltd and each of its shareholders. NLNG Ltd’s defiant posture is an unlawful and gross impediment to the fulfillment of the development objectives spelt out in the NDDC Act.”

    Naturally, the NDDC prayers to the committee at the hearing was to among others, pass a resolution and take such other steps as may be expedient to cause the current text of the Nigeria LNG (Fiscal Incentives, Guarantees and Assurances) Act to be modified to bring it patently into conformity with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in line with S. 315 of the Constitution, by deleting or omitting from the text of the NLNG Act Section 9 thereof and Clauses 2, 3, 6 and 15 of the 2nd Schedule thereto.

    A stakeholder’s perspective

    Speaking in an interview with a cross-section of journalists in Abuja, Prof. Jasper F. Jumbo, Wari Alabo (House Chief) of the Jumbo Major House, one of the largest community houses in gas-rich Bonny Island of Rivers State, said the NLNG has taken the country for a ride for too long.

    Jumbo who chairs the Niger Delta Projects Consortium as well as the Caretaker Committee and Traditional Head of the Jumbo Major House in Bonny Local Government, recalled that he was one of those who drafted the NDDC blueprint during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime and as such should know better.

    “I participated in the scoping and scoring of the NLNG Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) between 1997 and 1998, and the Jumbos are part landlords to the NLNG because Shell gave part of the contiguous Bonny Oil Terminal land we part-own with the Brown Major House of Finima to the NNPC which in turn, gave it to the NLNG. So, following the law of contiguity, the Jumbos are also part landlords to the NLNG,” he stressed.

    At the risk of being accused of taking sides, Jumbo says matter-of-factly that he is not against Nigeria giving tax waivers for any new project but considers NLNG’s haughtiness annoying.

    “If the NLNG wants to tell reasonable patriots to go to “hell”, their insensitivity may in years ahead, when the youths get more enlightened of the cheating, eventually snowball and affect the country. We expect the NLNG to help the NDDC to do the job it was set up by the Federal Government to do. We are trying to solicit for peace and the stability of the Niger Delta and the NLNG like any other gas company in the country must pay the three per cent remittance. That is the beginning of the dialogue.”

    Besides, he said claims by the NLNG that it has provided thousands of scholarships for young people to acquire quality education, is a ruse.

    “When they say they are giving thousands of scholarships, how many Bonny indigenes have those scholarship? The vocational school they have is a GCE level vocational school. Is that what you expect our boys to work with in a high level capacity, when that cannot even fetch a middle level manpower vocation for the development of our people?” he queried.

    Also speaking on the faceoff between the NDDC and the NLNG, Dr Sotonye Frank, a law lecturer gave further insights, saying the NLNG Act has some lacunas.

    According to him, it is inevitable that: “The NLNG Limited shall continue to rely on some clause in its Act to refuse to make its statutory contributions to the NDDC thereby depriving the Commission of significant revenue to carry out its mandate. Beyond the NDDC, the NLNG Ltd will also continue to rely on the stabilisation clauses to evade its obligations under validly enacted laws in Nigeria. This has several present and potential impacts for Nigeria.”

    It is against this background that the ongoing amendment process must be welcome by all Nigerians who have an interest in the sustainable development of the Niger Delta in particular and of Nigeria in general, he stressed.

    Going down memory lane, the law professor said: “The NLNG Act was first promulgated as a military decree in 1990 (Decree No. 39 of 1990). However, the provisions exempting the company from complying with new laws and taxes were added to the Act through an amendment decree signed by the late General Sani Abacha.”

    Specifically, he said the amendment decree was signed on 18 November 1993 by Sani Abacha who only assumed power the evening before (i.e. on 17 November 1993) through a military coup. “This illegitimate circumstance in which the guarantees and commitments were given is enough reason to amend the Act. The current government runs on an anti-corruption and transparency platform. It cannot, therefore, be seen to be stabilising illegitimacy.”

    The National Assembly, he stressed, “Must therefore be commended for kick-starting the process of amending the NLNG Act. The Act, as presently enacted, poses a substantial threat to the sustainable development of the Niger Delta in particular and Nigeria in general. There is therefore an urgent need to amend the Act in order to ensure that NLNG Ltd complies with the provisions of all laws validly enacted by the National Assembly, including the NDDC Act.”

    NLNG’s position

    Expectedly, the management of the NLNG Limited has maintained that it is being vilified for no just cause.

    Speaking at the public hearing on a bill to amend the NLNG Act, the Managing Director of the company, Babs Omotowa said no matter what it remains committed to the development of the region.

    “As evidence of our commitment to the development of the Niger Delta, NLNG has spent $177 million in the areas of infrastructure, education, etc in the region. So it is not an issue of reluctance to support Niger Delta, but one of ensuring we work within the confines of the law and honour agreements and promises to maintain the valued reputation of our country in international business,” he said.

    He stated that NLNG needs to be in the position to continue to support the region through being a successful Nigerian company, bringing value to the Delta and the nation in general, but that this would only be possible if the promises made to investors are not broken by amending the NLNG Act, which would certainly portray the country as one that does not honour agreements.

    The intervention of NLNG, Omotowa emphasised has more than any other single factor, led to the progressive decline in Nigeria’s gas flaring profile over the years, from well over 65% in the 1990s, to less than 20% today.

    Speaking further, he said: “It goes without saying that the NLNG Act has been pivotal to the commencement of the project in the first place, and for the huge success the company has represented for Nigeria, with the country reaping over US$33billion from its initial investment of US$2.5billion. The Act enabled the company to grow from its original 2-Trains to 6-Trains, creating an asset base of US$19 billion,49% of which the Federal Government owns.”

    He clarified that “Incentives which have been granted to NLNG are not peculiar to Nigeria. They were granted to encourage investments in gas utilisation to reduce flaring which had become a major problem for the country. Examples of similar incentive initiatives abound in Angola (12 years), Oman, Malaysia, Qatar and Trinidad (up to 10 years). Other more generous incentive schemesalso exist in Nigeria, in the Free Trade Zones.”

    NLNG is owned by four shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC (49%),  Shell Gas BV, SGBV, (25.6%), Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15%), and Eni International (N.A,) N. V. S. a. r. l (10.4%).

    Echoing similar sentiments, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke, General Manager, External Relations Division, NLNG, in a chat with The Nation at the weekend, said nothing should be done to bring the name of the country into disrepute.

    “What we’re struggling for is for the image of Nigeria because if they get away with what they want to do it will bring the country to disrepute. It is not a question of reluctance. Those who invested in NLNG were promised that nothing in the Act would change. That’s why they brought in their money. There is nothing personal. It is not about whether we don’t want to pay.”

    The Attorney General of the Federation and the NNPC during the hearing, Eresia-Eke recalled, at separate papers stoutly defended the NLNG Act.

    “If you even look at the NDDC Act what it says is that the funds will be paid by companies polluting the environment. We’re not polluters. Rather than being a polluter, we are buying up gas that would have otherwise being flared. The only company that has made a serious dent on gas flaring is the NLNG. We’re actually the No 1 cleaning agent in the Niger Delta. We’re committed to a better environment and improving lives.

    “We also need to explain that the gas we use is not being produced by the NLNG. We only buy from those who are engaged in the processing and exploration. We don’t do any of that. It’s a buying cassava from a farmer and processing it into garri.  What the law says is that the NDDC should direct its inquisitions to the producers. Fortunately, we are not producers.”

    As the controversy over the three percent remittance rages, the last may not have been heard of the matter.

  • NDDC awarded N2.4trn projects in 15 years, says Report

    NDDC awarded N2.4trn projects in 15 years, says Report

    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) awarded 8,557 infrastructure development projects valued at N2.4 trillion between 2001 and March 18, a report has said.

    This is contained in this year’s first quarterly report of the commission released on Monday in Abuja by its Acting Managing Director, Mrs Ibim Semenitari.

    The report said 3,454 projects, which cost N441 billion, were completed out of the total contracts awarded within the period.

    It said the projects were on roads, bridges, jetty and shore protection, canalisation and reclamation, electricity and power, water and buildings, food control and equipping and furnishing.

    The report said: “Of the total number of infrastructure projects awarded, about 250 are regarded as mega projects; that is, projects with cost ranging from N500 million to N24 billion.

    “There are 2,257 ongoing projects totalling N1.2 trillion in value, while 292 others worth N81 billion were either stalled or abandoned.

    “During the period under review, the commission terminated a total number of 49 projects valued at N1.9 billion.

    “Other agencies of government took over 29 projects with a total contract sum of N16 billion from the NDDC.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the NDDC was established under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2000.

    Its mandate includes facilitating the rapid, even and sustainable development of Niger Delta into an economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful region.

  • Militancy can’t slow down Niger Delta’s progress, says NDDC boss Semenitari

    Militancy can’t slow down Niger Delta’s progress, says NDDC boss Semenitari

    The renewed militancy in the Niger Delta is a temporary challenge, the Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, has said.

    Mrs Semenitari, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Information, said the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers were not in the interest of the people but  the hostility had not slowed down the commissioners progressive stride and  projects.

    The Federal Government, she said, is “seriously addressing” the challenge, adding that the Presidency had been meeting with Niger Delta elders and other interest groups to resolve the problem.

    Mrs Semenitari spoke at a dinner organised in her honour by her colleagues in the media. The event was held at Westow Hostels in Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend.

    She said: “All of us know that the things (militancy) happening in Niger Delta are not in the interest of the people. Clearly, government is seriously addressing the problem. We need to engage all of these persons and we have been doing so. Although every engagement is not on the pages of newspaper; you need to believe that we have been engaging them. And I believe sooner than later, there would be peace.”

    The NDDC boss identified what she called “rent collection” as root of the challenges facing Niger Delta, saying people usually asked the commission’s workers for money whenever NDDC embarked on projects. She regretted that a substantial  part of the resources accrued to the commission in the last 16 years was embezzled by politicians, which resulted in entrenched poverty and militancy in the region.

    Since her appointment, Mrs Semenitari said she had suppressed corrupt practices among  the staff of the commission, noting that she received threats because of the reforms she introduced in NDDC.

    She said: “We are aware that the only government some communities in Niger Delta know is NDDC. It takes a death threat for a journalist to turn down a job, the NDDC assignment is a task we have taken up in people’s interest. The challenges are enormous, but we will do what we can to bring about desired development.”

    Mrs Semenitari hailed the organisers of the event, saying newsroom taught her the virtue of hard work. She also praised her husband, Henry, for supporting her all through her years as a journalist.

    She said: “It doesn’t matter what we said to each other as media practitioner, but every one of us meant well. As reporter, I climbed every rung of journalism and newsroom taught me the virtue of hard work. I also must confess that my colleagues made me who I am today.”

    Chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation and chairman of the occasion, Sam Omatseye, described Mrs Seminatari as a thorough-bred professional, saying her appointment as NDDC boss was a testimony to the professionalism in the media practice.

    Omatseye said the event was to honour Mrs Semenitari and to remind her of the expectations of her colleagues in the media.

    The event was attended by top NDDC officials, media executives and senior editors of notable newspapers, including The Nation, The Punch, ThisDay, Vanguard and The Sun, among others.

  • Group honours NDDC Director, media practitioners

    Group honours NDDC Director, media practitioners

    A faith-based nongovernmental organisation, Christian Media Foundation (CMF), has bestowed awards of excellence on some deserving personalities for their commitment to media evangelism.

    Among the awardees were the Executive Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Anietie Usen; Managing Editor, Online and Special Publications of The Nation Newspaper, Lekan Otufodunrin and Chris Kehinde Nwandu of CKN News.

    The award ceremony was the climax of a two- day Christian media workshop by CMF in collaboration with Providence magazine.

    CMF Country Director, Gracious Akintayo, said the workshop was to educate, empower and encourage the application of the new (social) media platforms for the enhancement of evangelical strategies.

    Akintayo said the awards were aimed at encouraging, appreciating and celebrating practitioners that have distinguished themselves in Christian news reporting and contributed to the development of media evangelism.

    He acknowledged that the winners have been selflessly and relentlessly demonstrated passion to write, publish, produce and promote Christ-like character in carrying out their assignments.

    Chairman of the occasion, Dr Wilson Badejo, said Christians must take over the social media platforms to positively influence the society.

    The former general overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church said globalisation and technological advancement offer Christians the much-needed leeway to spread the gospel to the nooks and crannies of the nation.

    Badejo, who was represented by Rev. Sunday Madudu challenged Christians to take the bull by the horn with the social media platforms.

     The guest speaker, Richard Akinnola, said new technologies have reduced the world to a global village, offering Christians the platforms to change the world.

    Akinnola, represented by Ademola Adeoye, said: “Evangelism is now made simpler, efficient and cheaper with social media platforms networking strategies.”

    Other awardees of the 2016 Christian Media Award (CMA) are Sunday Oguntola (The Nation); Aramide Oikelome (formerly of Daily Independent); Rita Okonoboh ( Nigerian Tribune), Sanmi Falobi, a projects officer with the International Press Centre(IPC);  Julius Adegunna (publisher, PTL News) and Adetunji Akintola (Breakthrough News).

    A posthumous award was also given to Femi Kehinde, publisher, Prosperity Today and West African Theological Seminary (WATS) recognised for Institutional development and support to media evangelism.

  • Lassa fever: NDDC donates drugs, kits to Cross River

    Lassa fever: NDDC donates drugs, kits to Cross River

    As part of efforts to check the spread of Lassa fever in the country, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has donated drugs worth millions of naira as well as other personal protection equipment (PPE) to the Cross River State Ministry of Health.

    The delivery of the items taken at the Ministry of Health and Essential Drug Stores was made on behalf of the acting NDDC Managing Director, Mrs Ibim Semenitari by the State Director, Mr Alexander Okenwa, to the Director of Medical Services, Ministry of Health Calabar, Dr Ogban Ikpoti.

    Okenwa said, “We are very proactive in all modus operandi because we try to give people in the Niger Delta region the very best, we don’t want to be reactive in responding to any health issue whether endemic or otherwise and this is why we are carrying out this gesture.

    “We have donated the consignment so that the hospitals can be well prepared to handle any incident of Lassa Fever professionally and efficiently too.”

    Okenwa said though no incident has been recorded in the state, there was need to fully equip and prepare the health workers.

    He said Lassa Fever has killed over 80 people in 18 states of the Federation.

    Director of Medical Services, Dr Ogban Ikpoti said it was very important for the health workers to protect themselves before caring for others.

    Ikpoti said, “With this donation we now have the means to protect caregivers and health workers in our various hospitals with NDDC gesture they can now do their work no matter the nature of the disease they have to deal with.”

  • NDDC appeals for financial support from oil firms

    Acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Mrs Ibim Semenitari on Wednesday appealed for more financial support from oil companies operating in the region.

    A statement issued by the commission’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Chijioke Amu-Nnadi, in Port Harcourt, said that Semenitari made the call when Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) visited the commission.

    The statement quoted Semenitari as requesting oil companies in the area to improve on their contributions to enable the commission fast-track development of the region.

    “OPTS must provide support by pulling resources together so that NDDC can make impact and deliver on projects that would touch the lives of people in communities.

    “We support OPTS leaders to immediately re-activate meeting of Chief Executive Officers of the group to discuss issues affecting the region by ensuring that the region becomes functional for all stakeholders.

    “In all activities in 2016, we promote stronger partnership to enable us provide quality service delivery to the people.

    “We are concluding construction work on Ogbia-Nembe road that would be extended to Brass.

    “This means that we must begin talk early and also talk to several communities to get their support, while pulling resources together,” the statement quoted Semenitari as saying.

    She said that the Nembe-Brass section of the road project would be a tripartite arrangement that would involve Agip and the Bayelsa Government.

    She said that Agip would provide support for the project since it operated largely on the Nembe-Brass axis.

    According to her, we will also have meetings with the Bayelsa Government to make contributions even if they don’t put money on the table.

    “If we pull our resources together, it will be a win-win situation for all parties which would impact positively on the lives of people in the communities,” she said.

    Mrs Semenitari said that clean-up of oil spills in Ogoni area of Rivers was an issue that stakeholders must show concern and take greater responsibility.

    She maintained that oil companies must show more commitment to finding greener ways of doing business in the region.

    The statement also quoted, Mr Ibitoye Abosede, Chairman of NDDC/OPTS Working Level Committee, as assuring that the group would mobilise resources and create a platform that would prosper the region.

    He promised that OPTS would embark on joint inspection of projects executed by NDDC and the multinationals.

    Abosede, who is also NDDC Director and Head of Community and Rural Development unit, assured that the partnership would strive to reduce youth restiveness, vandalism and conflict in the region.

  • NDDC boosts girl-child education in Niger Delta

    NDDC boosts girl-child education in Niger Delta

    The Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, shortly after assumption of office, initiated the Girls in Engineering, Mathematics and Science (GEMS) competition, to bridge the gaps that exist in gender-related issues and reposition the Niger Delta.

    The maiden competition started with rigorous elimination process, which began with 2,880 girls from Senior Secondary School (SSS) 1 and 2 in the nine states (Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia and Imo) of the crude oil and gas-rich region.

    From the first screening test, 1,110 girls were selected. From the 1,110 girls, 270 of them were selected at 30 girls per state.

    The girls progressed to the state finals, where 11 girls qualified from each state, leading to the regional finals (in the NDDC’s regions of Western, Central and Eastern), where 11 girls were selected from each of the three regions, totaling 33 and they exhibited various Science, Technology and Mathematics projects, which were thoroughly assessed by eminent scholars.

    Of the 33 girls who participated in the grand finale on April 6 at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, ten were selected for recognition, while each of the top five received awards, prizes and N5 million scholarships, among other benefits/gifts.

    The GEMS that made the top ten were Maryanne Ukachukwu (Abia), Ebi Agbodobiri (the only representative from Bayelsa), Esther Ademeta (Ondo), Deborah Doghor (Ondo), Grace Mbora Bassey (Cross River), Uzamere Nowe Edobor (Edo), Blessing James Jeremiah (Cross River), Edidiong Bassey Francis (Akwa Ibom), Amarachi Orjiugo (Rivers) and Ayomide Adeyeye (Ondo).

    One of the nine representatives of Ondo state, Ayomide Adeyeye, emerged the overall winner of the competition.

    Adeyeye went home with a trophy, the latest tablet computer for educational programmes, gold plaque, N200,000 cash and N5 million scholarship for her 5-year tertiary education at N1 million per annum, while her school would also have a Chemistry laboratory from NDDC.

    The first runner up (second position), Amarachi Orjiugo (Rivers) got cash of N100,000; N5 million scholarship, plaque and tablet computer, while the second runner up (third), Edidiong Bassey Francis (Akwa Ibom) got N50,000 cash, N5 million scholarship, plaque and tablet computer.

    The schools of the girls that came second and third would also get from NDDC, Physics and Biology laboratories respectively.

    The fourth position went to Blessing James Jeremiah (Cross River), while Grace Mbora Bassey (Cross River) had the fifth position. Each of the best five GEMS would benefit from the N5 million scholarships for their tertiary education, while each of the 33 girls would have mentors.

    All the directors of NDDC in Bayelsa State contributed N300,000, which was given to the only representative from the state (Ebi Agbodobiri) to motivate her for better performance in future competitions.

    The directors of the Federal Government’s intervention agency also made N500,000 available for the only girl, Esther Ademeta of Ondo State, whose project was on Mathematics, for thinking outside the box and being creative, thereby encouraging her to always put in her best, while Ondo won the award of the competition’s most supportive state.

    The overall winner (Ayomide Adeyeye), while responding on behalf of the 33 finalists, stated that she never thought her project could be adjudged the best, while giving God the glory and she lauded NDDC for the initiative.

    As the winners were celebrating with their parents, guardians, relatives, friends and well-wishers, while taking photographs in the beautifully-decorated Atlantic Hall of Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, the girls who did not receive any award, prize, recognition or scholarship started crying uncontrollably.

    It took the intervention of the Master of Ceremonies (MC), for the crying girls to be pacified. Adeyeye (overall winner) also pleaded with them to try and improve on their projects to emerge winners next time. It was indeed an emotional moment.

    It was obvious that the 33 finalists had begun to see the practicality of science, even at the young age, thereby becoming a foundation upon which they and other children of the Niger Delta, as well as the schools in the region would build their collective future.

    Two of the three assessors also addressed the finalists and persons in attendance on the criteria for selection, which they said included content, demonstration of brilliance and intellect, interest in the project, confidence, practical relevance of project to the society, clear understanding of the project, use of technology and potential for further studies, among others.

    Grand finale of the GEMS competition was attended by a former Deputy Governor of Rivers state, Sir Gabriel Toby, and his wife, as well as a member of the Rivers House of Assembly, Chief Victoria Nyeche, who represents Port Harcourt Constituency One and other eminent personalities.

    Mrs. Semenitari, on April 4, at the Conference Room of the NDDC’s corporate headquarters on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, addressed a news conference, in company with other directors and top officials of the commission, ahead of the April 6 grand finale of the GEMS competition.

    She revealed at the media event that the Federal Government’s intervention agency voted N113, 169,500.00 for the GEMS initiative, which she said was borne out of NDDC’s desire, social commitment and responsibility, in the earnest efforts to facilitate the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.

    At the grand finale of the GEMS competition, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari was placing high premium on science and technology, in order to ensure sustainable development in Nigeria and diversification of the nation’s economy.

    Onu was represented by the Director, Gender Desk of the federal ministry, Dr. Nnenna Okoronkwo.

    The acting managing director of NDDC, in her welcome address at the GEMS’ grand finale, urged the nine governors of states in the Niger Delta to partner with the Federal Government’s intervention agency on science and technology.

    Mrs. Semenitari stated that the greatness and power of countries were interrelated, in no small measure; with the top priority they accord science and technology.