As part of activities leading to the virtual commissioning of the new Headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Port Harcourt, the Federal Government has said that it would soon review the NDDC’s policies and modules.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio said this at the pre-commissioning press conference of the new NDDC Headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Akpabio said NDDC was not all about mismanagement in terms of corruption, but corruption-associated with policies, stating that all that would soon change.
He said with forensic audit and the needed changes effected, NDDC must begin to see the money coming in to deliver major regional plans to execute major projects, including linking the entire mandate states by all transport means possible.
According to him, “by the time the forensic audit closes, NDDC will change, so when you look at NDDC, it is not just the mismanagement in terms of corruption, it’s also the corruption associated with policies, corruption associated with the modus operandi. To get paid for a job, by the time you are through with state offices and you come to headquarters to get your money, in the finance department, you need about 26 signatures before payments are done, so any of them that does not sign the paper, it means that person would have to wait for the 5-6 years, so we’ll also look at the internal governing of the NDDC and reposition it”.
Akpabio also said the Federal Government is determined to complete the first to 4th sections of the East-West Road.
He also said that the NDDC would review the scholarship programme for students in order to train more persons.
He hinted that the commission was spending over N300 million yearly as rent for the rented headquarters office in Port Harcourt, saying, “What many didn’t know was that for over 15 years, that office was not connected to the national grid. So, the purchase of diesel also became a racket, so you understand why completing the permanent headquarters was not the focus for so long”.
On the permanent headquarters project, he said the President deserved commendation for approving the desire of his ministry and the commission’s management to ensure its completion where successive administrations have failed to realise the same since the days of OMPADEC, 25 years ago.
The Interim Board Administrator of the NDDC, Dr Effiong Akwa, on his part, commended the Rivers State Government, the Okrika community leaders for their co-operation in the construction of the headquarters.
He said, “I would not end this media conference without appreciating the Rivers State Government for providing us with a conducive environment throughout our work here, we did not encounter community issues and so I also wish to thank the youths of this community particularly the Okrika youths. They are the best I have come across in recent times, they were cooperating with us. the Rivers State Government provided excellent security”.

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa