Peace, infrastructures, as President Tinubu’s achievements in Niger Delta

By Jerome-Mario Utomi

As the Tinubu administration inches towards its third anniversary in office, a peek into its achievements in the Niger Delta reveals that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done well for the region and its people.

This is self-evident, especially when one takes a critical look at the recent activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

NDDC is an interventionist federal agency established in 2000 by the Obasanjo administration to spearhead development, infrastructure, and socio-economic empowerment in the oil-rich but long suffering Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.

It focuses on tackling environmental degradation, building infrastructure (roads, bridges, electricity), and enhancing youth skills to curb regional insecurity. Simply put, it is the development arm of the Federal Government in the Niger Delta region.

Very recently, the Commission assured Niger Deltans in particular and Nigerians in general that the 1.2-kilometre Kaa-Ataba Bridge linking the Khana Local Government Area to the Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State will be inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as part of activities marking his third anniversary in office.

The NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, stated this during an inspection of the project by members of the Commission’s Governing Board, led by the Chairman, Mr. Chiedu Ebie. The team included the Executive Director of Projects, Dr Victor Antai; the Executive Director of Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde and other Directors of the Commission.

The NDDC boss restated the Commission’s commitment to the presidential mandate to complete all legacy projects in the region. He affirmed that the Commission would do all that was necessary to enable the contractor to complete the project on schedule.

Ogbuku declared that the Kaa-Ataba Bridge is one of the NDDC’s most ambitious legacy projects, standing as the longest bridge in the Niger Delta region and one of the longest in the country.

The Managing Director, who expressed satisfaction over the progress of work, noted that the project was among the legacy projects the President directed the Commission to complete as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He affirmed that the Commission was determined to make the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government a reality in the Niger Delta region, stating that “the President gave us a marching order to make a positive impact in the Niger Delta. The Board and Management are working diligently to meet Mr. President’s expectations.

Giving his impressions of the progress of work on the bridge, the NDDC Board Chairman, Mr Ebie, stated that the road project demonstrated the Federal Government’s determination to develop the Niger Delta region.

Ebie reaffirmed the Managing Director’s position that the project would be inaugurated this year, stating that the contractor had given a firm assurance of delivering the project on schedule.

The Board Chairman restated the commitment of the NDDC to complete all ongoing projects in the Niger Delta region as directed by President Tinubu.

He stated: “We have been briefed by the on-site engineers, and they are as determined as we are to deliver the project on schedule.”

The Paramount Ruler of the Ataba Kingdom in Andoni Local Government Area, King Benson Egwenre, applauded the NDDC for executing the project, noting that it would enhance social and economic activities in the local communities.

On his part, the Traditional Ruler of Kaa, in Khana Local Government Area, King Benjamin Ledor, assured the NDDC that his people would cooperate with the contractor to ensure the project was completed on schedule.

The inspection team also visited the ongoing work at the Niger Delta Regional Hospital in Port Harcourt, which has cardiovascular and orthopaedic units.

The NDDC Board Chairman stressed the importance of healthcare in Nigeria and the Niger Delta region, observing that the regional hospital would reduce medical tourism.

“We are happy that the contractors are working closely with the suppliers on hospital equipment. Based on the progress of the project, the contractor has promised that the hospital will be ready before the end of the year,” Ebie said.

Also speaking on the hospital project, the NDDC Managing Director said it demonstrated that the Commission’s interventions were not limited to road and bridge projects.

According to him, “our intervention is not only on road construction or solar lights; we all know that health is wealth, and the people of the Niger Delta have to be in good health.”

“We embarked on this project to put a state-of-the-art medical facility in the region. This project will also promote medical tourism in the region and across Nigeria. Upon finishing this project, we want to run it through partnerships. We will hand it over to those with expertise in running hospitals, which is why we will equip the hospital with the most sophisticated medical facilities.”

While the people of the region celebrate these seasons of democratized infrastructure, there are even greater reasons to believe that there are other silent, salient achievements by the Commission.

Recently, Mr Ebie listed peace and stability, stakeholders’ engagement, infrastructural provision, and human capital development, among others, as NDDC’s key 2024 achievements.

Speaking in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, the NDDC boss assured of the commission’s continued socio-economic and infrastructural strides in the Niger Delta.

His words: “For us, our key achievements, first and foremost, which many people will take for granted, are the peace and stability within the board and the commission.

“In the past, you know, NDDC was always on the news for the wrong reasons. But I’m proud and confident to say that in the one year that we have been there, it’s been very peaceful, coexisting within the board and then, for everybody that has to do with the commission.

“Another achievement is that we have created a very harmonious working relationship.”

On the seamless interface with critical stakeholders, Ebie said pragmatic leadership made it easier, adding that “we sat amongst ourselves and said we must engage the stakeholders periodically. And so, about six months into our tenure, we convened a two-day Niger Delta Stakeholder Summit, which was held in Port Harcourt; and in July, we had a critical stakeholders engagement, ranging from the private sector to top government officials, to ethnic nationalities, and so on.

“We have also engaged with the youth groups as well. I think we have had two such engagements with the youth group. So, in terms of stakeholders’ management, day-to-day administration of the commission is led by the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Sam Ogbuku, who has done an excellent job.

“We, on the board, as a non-executive chairman, supervise the board and, by extension, we supervise the activities of the management.

“So, we have worked to create that harmonious working relationship and at the same time, engage the stakeholders.

On infrastructural and human capital development, the NDDC board chairman stated that other achievements would have to do with infrastructural development and capacity building in various areas.

“There is a whole load of programs by the commission, which, as we all know, is an interventionist agency. Sometimes, people tend to mistake the NDDC for a tier of government.

“They make it seem as if NDDC is a tier of government, but it’s an interventionist agency. In doing that, one of the things we will seek to achieve is to also make sure that we conduct empowerment.

“Now, the main one, which we sat down and put together, is ‘Project Hope,’ which stands for Holistic Opportunities, Programmes and Engagements. This is built around meticulously crafted programmes which include agriculture, entrepreneurship, internship, music and art.

“Now, one of the things we realized is that over time, over the 24 years of its existence, NDDC has empowered a lot of people. They have trained a lot of people. But you find that it is very difficult for you to sit down and determine the exact numbers or even the evaluation.

“What has been the impact of these empowerment programmes? So, it is a bit haphazard and a bit unified. We sat down and said we need to rejig this thing. We need to create something that, over time, as we go along, we will be able to measure the impact and know what each person has achieved and how it has impacted their lives. Has it taken them out of the poverty bracket and thrust them up the ladder? “And so, we came up with ‘Project Hope’, which is in three phases.”

Ebie enthused that the first phase of the programme has to do with mapping and paper gathering, which has so far seen about 3.2 million youths registered on the platform. Phase two, he disclosed, is in the offing.

Speaking further, Ebie said: “We also have the youth internship scheme, which we sort of made public towards the second or third quarter of last year, where we tried to empower 10,000 youths across the nine NDDC states.

“And of course, based on their different skills, they would earn a monthly allowance of N50,000. The world is advancing; there is technological advancement.

“So, we have to base anything we’re doing along those lines. Everything is online. We register online. So, even for the youth internship scheme, which would kick off in earnest in January, we have now been able to gather all the data and categorize all the people into different vocations or skill settings. These are two major empowerment programmes”.