President Goodluck Jonathan Monday inaugurated the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with a sound warning that all ongoing projects must be completed before new ones are awarded.
The new board is headed by a former Senator, Bassey Ewa-Henshaw. Also on the board are: Bassey Dan-Abia (Managing Director), Itotenaan Ogiri (ED, Finance an Administration), Tuoyo Omatsulu (ED Projects) from Akwa Ibom and Rivers States, respectively. Ball Oyarede (Bayelsa), Ephraim Etete (Rivers) and Etim Inyang Jnr. (Akwa Ibom).
Other are Adah Andeshi (Cross River), Tom Amioku (Delta), Samuel Nwogu (Abia), Uchegbu Chidiebere Kyrian (Imo), Suleiman Sa’d (North-central), Abdumalik Mahmud (North-east), Enikuomehin Olorungbonju (Ondo) and Mark Ward (Oil Producers Trade Section, OPTS).
According to the President, many projects have been left uncompleted for too long, noting that the performance of the previous boards have not been a success story in terms of projects execution.
He therefore, charged the new board to be alive to its responsibility by ensuring completion of all ongoing projects to the benefit of the people of the region.
According to him, “A body like NDDC should not just go into a voyage of contracts procurement but ongoing projects must be completed for people to benefit before new ones are awarded. There are just too many ongoing projects and we believe that you don’t even have enough manpower to manage the ongoing projects.
“You have a lot of responsibility and for those of you from the Niger Delta who are even there; you know that the history of intervening agencies is legion. From three per cent to one intervention or the other, if you aggregate the total amount of money the Federal Government has spent on this agency is enormous and I don’t believe on ground that we have something to show very clearly.
“The former board at a time had to be dissolved because instead of the board to work with the management to make sure that people from the area benefit from the NDDC they were busy quarreling over money.
“The money does not belong to the board members are staff the money belongs to the people yet they were quarreling. If the money that belongs to the people is being spent the way it should they will be no reason why people should quarrel.
“There are guidelines in terms of procurement and managing of funds and if the MD or ED is doing things contrary to expectations there are lines of reporting, there are lines of authority and I will expect you to follow. I don’t expect you to go and start quarreling. I expect you to be committed both the board and the management so as to ensure that the people from the area benefit from the resources” he said.
The President also seized the opportunity to appeal to the Niger Delta governors to meet regularly so as to keep an eye on the work of the commission.
To the new board, President Jonathan said, “If you do badly, it is Jonathan that is probably using NDDC funds for election campaigns, that is what people will say. I will really look at your activities clinically, an d I will not accept any aberration from the conventional and acceptable way of managing resources of the people”.
Responding on behalf of the board, the Chairman, Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, thanked the President for finding them worthy for the assignment. He said members would be conscious of the huge task ahead, saying “By adopting a fresh approach and forging a new direction and focus we hope to create a new more positive image for the commission.
He said, “We believe that the NDDC can become the veritable vehicle for it is intended to be for the upliftment of the people of the Niger Delta, a vehicle by which their situation can be transformed from one of deprivation to one of prosperity and hope. You have already charted the course through your transformation agenda for the Nigerian nation” he said.
Henshaw also assured that the board will “focus on major infrastructural developments that will open up and integrate the sub-region. Our projects and programmes will target wealth creation and employment generation especially for the youths of the area. And we will work assiduously to infuse good governance, transparency, efficiency into all facets of the commissions operations”.
