NDDC Rates Self Low On Projects Execution

The Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Christian Oboh , says only few of the 5,000 projects initiated by the commission since its inception have been completed.

Our correspondent recalls that the Federal Government established NDDC in 2000 to address development issues in the Niger Delta region.

Oboh, who made this known during an interaction with the media in Port Harcourt yesterday, said more could have been achieved in the region if the projects had been completed.

He said the new management team had just realised that more than 5, 000 projects had been awarded since the inception of the commission but “only very few have been completed. ’’

Following the development, he said, “we set an agenda to ensure that in our own tenure, we will have to award fewer contracts and set a completion time.”

He explained that the commission was currently pursuing 57 mega projects expected to be completed this August

Oboh said in spite of the number of the projects, which were in different stages of execution, there was still a need to do more projects that would ease the suffering of the people.

He said that such new projects that would be awarded would include some bridges that would connect Rivers with other states in the region.

“We intend to cross a bridge between Ndoni and Abor, connecting Delta and Rivers states. We have the design already and the contract will be awarded soon, “ Oboh said.

He said other projects were three specialist hospitals, a maternity hospital, cardiovascular and orthopaedic hospital, which contracts would be awarded soon.

He noted three specialist hospitals would be sited in Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom, to support the health care programme of the states and reduce the cost of foreign medical trips by Nigerians.