NDDC Owes Over N2trn Debt -Akpabio

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has said that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has over N2 trillion debt to settle.
Akpabio, who stated this at a meeting with the management team of NDDC in Abuja. said the commission had not performed well in its main responsibility, which was the development of the Niger Delta region.
The minister said the impact of the commission on the entire region would have been more, but for some factors such as personal interest and undue interference.
He stressed the need for collaboration between the ministry and the commission to move the region to a higher level.
“We will look into the budgetary allocation and see how it can be improved upon because the success of any organisation starts from budgeting.
“We want to redirect the budgeting procedure of the commission so that we can aim at the ongoing projects, that is, those that are nearing completion, but which have not been completed due to lack of human will,” he said.
According to him, there are too many uncompleted projects across the Niger Delta region due to lack of proper coordination, adding, “we will not allow that any longer.
“We are going to focus on the key ones that are on the ground for us to complete between now and next year and also start some things that can create employment opportunities,” he said.
On the East-West Road the minister said it was one of the top priorities of his administration, pledging to work very hard to ensure the development of the region.
The director overseeing the NDDC,Akwagaga Enyia expressed the commission’s readiness to cooperate with the minister to ensure the development of the region.