The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has completed and inaugurated five abandoned mega-regional projects in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
The managing director of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, said the agenda mandated the commission to complete and inaugurate all abandoned ongoing projects designed to link states and communities in the region.
Speaking at the NDDC’s media engagement in Port Harcourt, Ogbuku said that the recent inauguration of five mega projects in Abia, Edo, Ondo, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom states was a testimony of the new passion of the commission to deliver on the mandate.
He emphasised that the board would continue to adhere to President Tinubu’s directive that it should complete and inaugurate signature projects that would impact the lives of Niger Delta people.
Ogbuku said the commission had so far inaugurated the 132/33kv electricity sub-station at Ode-Erinje in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, to light up five local government areas in the state, as well as the 25.7-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road in Bayelsa State, which was executed in partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
He said that the NDDC also inaugurated the 600-meter Ibeno Bridge and the 6.87km Iko-Atabrikang-Opolom-IwuoAchang Road, in Ibeno Local Government Area, of Akwa Ibom State, as well as the 9km Obehie-Oke-Ikpe Road in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State.
In his presentation, the Executive Director of Projects, Sir Victor Antia, said that the commission had constructed and rehabilitated 5,141.3km of roads through swamps and virgin forests.
He said that the commission had also built 42 bridges, thousands of hydraulic structures, and 87 jetties across the Niger Delta region.
He said that the NDDC resumed its Free Healthcare Programme to cater to the needs of rural communities, as part of its commitment to enhance healthcare delivery to the people of the Niger Delta region.
“In the ongoing free medical outreach across the nine Niger Delta states, 20,000 surgeries have been performed, while 45,000 patients have been attended to and 27,000 eyeglasses distributed,” he said.
In the education sector, he highlighted the Foreign Post-Graduate Scholarship Programme of the Commission, noting that 2,323 students in the region had so far benefited from it.
“We have commenced the process for the 2024/2025 scholarship programme”, he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the NDDC Executive Director of Corporate Services, Ifedayo Abegunde, acknowledged the contributions of the media to the growth of democracy and public accountability.
He said: “Today, NDDC is setting a landmark precedent in its engagement with the Press. This strategic engagement is in line with the new management’s mantra of Transition from Transactions to Transformation (TTT). Consequently, the management of NDDC has decided to transition from sectional engagement with the Press to a more elaborate and strategic engagement to solidify our partnership and strengthen our bond with the press.
“The current governing board and management under the able leadership of Chiedu Ebie and Dr. Samuel Ogbuku as Chairman and Managing Director, respectively, is poised to establish a sustainable partnership with the press through periodic region-wide media engagement while promoting good journalism within the remit of our mandate as an interventionist agency”.
