BY GODWIN IJEDIOGOR
THE Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has clarified that he was screened by the Senate for a four-year tenure and the current Governing Board members were appointed for a four-year tenure.
Making the clarification while addressing a press conference at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Ogbuku said insinuations in some quarters that his tenure ends this year was false and without any foundation, citing the provision of Section 4 of the NDDC Establishment Act, which states that “a member of the Board, other than ex-efficio member, shall hold office for a term of four years at the first instance and may be reappointed for a further term of four years and no more.”
The NDDC boss said those pushing for the truncation of the tenure of the NDDC Board were not happy that members were working harmoniously to deliver on the mandate of President Bola Tinubu for the people of the Niger Delta region, lamenting that in spite of the efforts of the NDDC Board and Management to deliver on quality projects and programmes, some selfish individuals were working behind the scene to return the Commission to the days of instability and non-performance.
Ogbuku stressed that nothing would distract the NDDC Board and Management from holding fast to its mantra of Transiting from Transactions to Transformation, advising those scheming for a change at NDDC to wait till the end of his tenure, insisting that Tinubu re-appointed him for another term of four years, even as he promised that the region would witness more people-oriented projects and programmes.
He assured that as soon as this year’s budget of the Commission was signed into law, ongoing efforts to complete legacy projects would gain momentum, as the plan in the budget was to raise N1trillion from development and commercial banks for the completion of legacy projects spread across the Niger Delta region, including regional roads, bridges, electricity projects, school buildings, hospitals, shore reclamation and protection, among others.
The Commission’s boss outlined recent initiatives of the Board, including the Niger Delta Stakeholders’ Summit, which was a culmination of other engagements with the youth groups and women, assuring that resolutions of the Summit would inform future actions, as the communique would be presented to the President.
On the NDDC Healthcare Programme, which caters to the needs of rural communities, Ogbuku said the recent free medical outreach across the nine catchment states was successful, leading to plans for holding the event biannually.
He disclosed that the Commission had acquired and distributed 13 ambulances to regional hospitals in response to a cholera outbreak and was working to secure more ambulances and cholera vaccines to prevent further incidents.
In the education sector, he highlighted the Commission’s Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship Programme, which has so far benefitted 2,323 students in the region, adding: “We have released the initial funds for beneficiaries of the 2024/2025 scholarship programme.
“In response to the rising costs of foreign education, we are considering offering local undergraduate scholarships.”
Ogbuku assured that the era of not having data or evidence of projects and programmes was gone, as the current Board and Management has adopted strategies to showcase its activities.
