News: The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Relates With States, LGAs In Projects Planning, Execution

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Obong Nsima Ekere, has dismissed insinuations that the Commission was in conflict with some state governments within its areas of coverage in term of project planning and execution.

Declaring open a one day workshop organized by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State chapter, in Uyo yesterday, the NDDC boss said the commission, in planning and executing projects, collaborates with states and Local Government Areas within the region to be able to arrive at projects which really meet the need of the people.

Represented by the NDDC Commissioner, Akwa Ibom State, Hon. Samuel Frank, Ekere argued that as an interventionist agency of the Federal Government the body could not have been in antagonistic with any state government in project
implementation.

His words “There are many road projects in the rural areas and urban cities across the region which NDDC intervened and other projects touching the live of the people. We work with the state governments to achieve one goal which is development”.

He assured that the current board of the NDDC believes more in positive governance for the people and less in politics while carrying out its works saying since the Commission was not the only agency to provide facilities its decided to work with various state and local governments and other corporate bodies to render service.

Acknowledging the theme of the workshop; “Capacity Development for Effective News Reporting of Energy Sector in Nigeria”, Ekere charged the media to freely consult the Commission in the areas of doubt in reporting NDDC projects.

The Head, Media & Publicity Affairs of the Commission, Mr. Ibitoye Abosede, who presented an overview of NDDC’s Corporate Social Responsibility hinted that about N1.4 trillion has been committed in the execution of more than 8, 000 projects by the NDDC in the last 17 years out of which 3, 424 projects have been completed.

Abosede who was represented on the occasion by Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs & Special Assistant/Media to the Managing Director of the NDDC disclosed that 64 projects are being done by the Commission in Akwa Ibom State with over 50 percent of work completed on them.