The Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, (right) welcoming the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, (2nd right) during a courtesy visit at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt. Second left is the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, while the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, is on the left.
*Advises NDDC to end duplication of projects in states
*Calls for proper synergy as he pledges support
*As Ogbuku says NDDC Leadership is Committed to Common Vision
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
The Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has promised to collaborate and support the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in its efforts to fast-track the development of the Niger Delta region.
Governor Fubara spoke at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt, during a courtesy visit by members of the NDDC Governing Board, led by the Chairman, Mr. Chiedu Ebie.
The NDDC team included the Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye; the Executive Director Projects, Sir Victor Antai; the Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, other members of the Board and directors of the Commission.
Fubara said: “I am very happy that you have done the right thing by paying this courtesy visit. I assure you that we are ready to collaborate with all Federal Government agencies committed to the development of the Niger Delta region.
“The speech of the Chairman, Mr. Ebie, shows that NDDC has already identified more than 90 per cent of the problems facing the region and is ready to solve them.”
The Governor said that the Rivers State Government would support the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bring hope to the people of the state and Niger Delta region. He pledged: “We are going to support you to enable you discharge your duties and I pray that your tenure will record more successes than the previous boards.”
Responding to the issue of duplication of projects as highlighted by the NDDC Chairman, the Governor advised the Commission to avoid cases of duplication of projects, stating that it was very necessary to consult the states before embarking on projects in their respective territories.
He said that by identifying the problem, the NDDC had shown that it was ready to address the challenge, which according to him, had often caused some frictions between the states and the Commission.
Governor Fubara assured the NDDC Board members that his government was open to partnership and collaboration in the execution of projects. He urged the Commission to embark on projects that would add value to the lives of the people of the region.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, thanked the Rivers State Government for hosting the Commission since its inception in 2000.
He said: “The NDDC Board was inaugurated on November 16. As our host governor, we thought it wise to pay you this courtesy visit before holding our inaugural meeting.
“We need to create a new life in the NDDC and collaborate more with development partners, including the state governments and other stakeholders in the region to achieve our objectives. I know that we have had problems with duplication of projects. Henceforth, representatives of the states in the NDDC Board must be in constant touch with their state governments and ensure that projects are based on needs assessment.”
The NDDC Chairman assured the Governor that the new Board would work in synergy with governors in the nine states covered by the Commission.
NDDC Leadership Committed to Common Vision – Ogbuku
The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, says that the new leadership in the Commission has resolved to buy into a common vision that will be in the best interest of the Niger Delta region.
Speaking at a meeting with the new Executive Management and staff of the Commission at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Ogbuku assured that members of the Board would work in one accord to impact positively on the lives of the people of Nigeria’s oil-rich region.
He stated: “I am glad that we now have a compatible team that is poised to deliver the best services to the people of the Niger Delta region. I feel more relaxed now that we are set to go on full steam. We have to work hands in glove to change the face and fortunes of our region.”
Ogbuku stressed: “We will not allow people to come between us to sow seeds of discord. It is in the interest of the staff and all stakeholders that the management team is united.”
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer observed that one of the major challenges the Commission faced in the past was the frequent changes of the Board and Management. He, therefore, urged the staff to play a positive role to ensure that there was harmony among the Board members and the Management.
Ogbuku charged the staff to always be professional in the discharge of their duties, advising that they should not dabble into politics or spread negative stories about the Commission for selfish or ethnic interests. He assured them that the Executive Management would continue to pay attention to staff welfare to create a conducive atmosphere for optimal performance and efficient service delivery.
The Managing Director appealed to staff not to mislead the new Executive Directors by playing the ethnic card or swaying to primordial sentiments, cautioning that the Executive Management should be allowed to work for the benefit of the entire Niger Delta region.
He stated that the new Board was made up of men who are grounded in knowledge and varied experiences, noting that the members, being well endowed in their various disciplines, would surely deliver the needed benefits for the growth of the Niger Delta region.
He declared: “I am confident that the tenure of this Board will be peaceful and productive.”
In his remarks, the NDDC Executive Director Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, re-echoed the views of the Managing Director on the need to prioritise staff welfare, stating: “All we ask from the staff is cooperation and diligence to their duties.”
In his short remarks, the Executive Director Projects, Sir Victor Antai, stated that the new Board was poised to succeed. “Where others failed, this team will not fail,” he said.
He advised NDDC staff to shun gossip and idle talks and cautioned: “Don’t come to gossip to me.”
He said further: “Please, allow me to make my own friends. I don’t want to inherit anyone’s enemies because my own philosophy is live and let live.”
Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, re-stated the need for organizational harmony in the activities of NDDC as an interventionist agency.
“We will work as one united family to fast-track the development of the Niger Delta region,” he promised.
Speaking on behalf of the staff, the Chairman of NDDC Staff Union, Comrade Anthony Gbendo, applauded the Managing Director for facilitating the approval of the staff conditions of service, which he said was delayed for several years.
He pledged the support and loyalty of his members to the new Board to ensure that they succeeded in their assignment.
Ends duplication of projects in states – Governor Fubara
Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara has enjoined the new governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to make true its planned process of eliminating the duplication of projects in States, which leads to wastage of resources eventually.
Sir Fubara gave the advise when he hosted on courtesy visit the chairman of the governing board of the NDDC, Mr. Chiedu Ebie who led other members of the board and management of the commission to Government House in Port Harcourt.
The governor emphasised that, as a development agency, NDDC should be more interested in siting projects borne out of thorough needs assessment and synergy with State governments in order to achieve well coordinated distribution of projects and enduring development of the region.
Governor Fubara said his administration is following in the example of its predecessor to continue to have effective collaboration with all federal agencies, NDDC inclusive, within the premise of advancing the wellbeing of the people.
According to Sir Fubara: “In every purpose of government, what is important is the people. And I can feel in your speech as chairman that the interest of the people is paramount in the administration of this commission.
“Therefore, people should be happy with what you do. When they are happy, the system will function smoothly. There will be reduction of crime, development will come at the end of the day with little effort.”
Earlier the chairman of the governing board of NDDC, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, has said with the inauguration few days back and in an effort to hold the first inaugural board meeting, they felt it was proper to visit the governor to pledge their willingness to partner his administration as they start off rendering effective service to the people.
He assured that under the new board, NDDC will work to ensure that its development projects are products of needs assessment in order to eliminate duplication of projects.