ITODE AKARI

PORT HARCOURT – The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC is set to engage critical stakeholders in tackling the challenges bedeviling the oil rich region.

The Commission said it would

assemble the stakeholders in a three-day summit in Port Harcourt beginning from Wednesday

July 10 and ending on Saturday July 13, 2024.

Managing Director of the NDDC, Chief Samuel Ogbuku, made the disclosure at a press briefing in Port Harcourt over the weekend, stating that critical stakeholders such as the former Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, elder statesman, Edwin Clark among others are expected to grace the event.

Dr. Ogbuku further noted that members of the National Assembly, Ministers from the region, traditional rulers and private sector experts would also be in attendance to scrutinize the challenges facing the region and chart a way forward.

Ogbuku, while stressing the importance of stakeholders’ engagement, said the occasion would provide a veritable platform for new ideas and strategies that would fast-track development in the Niger Delta to thrive in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The NDDC Chief Executive Officer, recalled the commission’s previous engagements with different groups which facilitated the restoration of peace in various communities in the region, stressing that development cannot be sustained in a crisis-prone environment.

He said, “One of the cardinal policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is stakeholders’ engagement and that is one area the NDDC is doing very well and we are getting good results.”

He further explained that the summit will also help the Commission implement projects that engender sustainable development of the Niger Delta region and address the aspirations and needs of the people, stressing that rather than working at cross purposes, the summit would help the development partners of the region harmonise their activities.

Recalling the rebirth and rewind policy of the commission in developing the Niger Delta region as; Transiting from Transaction to Transformation (TTT), Ogbuku stated that President Tinubu, had charged the Commission to complete and commission signature projects that would positively impact the lives of Niger Deltans.

He noted that the summit will also serve as an opportunity for the current management of the commission to showcase its achievements since assumption of office.

Dr. Ogbuku added that the Commission was also providing potable water in communities across the region, stressing that the intervention was critical at this period when cholera epidemic had become a major health challenge.

Giving insight on the youth empowerment programme of the Commission, tagged Holistic Opportunities Programme of Engagement, HOPE, Ogbuku called on the youths to take advantage of the opportunity and be part of the process by registering.

“We want to ensure that our future engagements with youths will be based only on those who have registered with us in the database. That will enable us to know their areas of competence, because we discovered that our previous trainings were given to friends and family members who are probably not even interested in the training.

“Building a comprehensive data base for the youths in the region will give the Commission the opportunity to plan, as well share the relevant data with other development agencies that may need them for planning.

Ogbuku, noted that the NDDC, through the Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce is supporting entrepreneurship development by giving support to farmers and verifiable entrepreneurs in the region.

The Managing Director said that the NDDC had put measures in place to ensure financial discipline in the Commission. This, he said, necessitated the engagement of KPMG to design a corporate governance system for the Commission. He explained that the corporate governance structure would increase the confidence of partners that work with the Commission.