INAUGURATION OF NEW NDDC BOARD 1A&B. L-R; Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, Minister of Niger Delta, Umana Okon Umana, The Chairman Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Ms. Lauretta Onochie, Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs, Ms Sharon O. Ikeazor, Managing Director NDDC, Chief Samuel Ogbuku and other Members during the Inauguration of he New NDDC Board held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE. JAN 4TH 2023.
Umana Okon Umana, minister of Niger Delta affairs, has charged the members of the governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), to develop a template for effective take off in the task to make a positive impact on the lives of the people of the Niger Delta region.
Umana made this known while declaring open the ongoing NDDC Board and Management retreat held at Ibom Icon Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo,Akwa Ibom State.
The minister urged the board members that the people of the Niger Delta region and Nigerians were looking up to them to make a difference.
He further advised the governing board to ensure that the management retreat was used to discuss and address issues around the NDDC Act, the Public Procurement Act and other key issues bordering on accountability and transparency.
Advertisement
Umana disclosed that the retreat was meant to equip the Board and Management with relevant information to play their various roles to ensure that the NDDC lives up to its mandate of fast-tracking the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.
“I trust that this new board, made up of experienced professionals, will not fail, especially with the confidence reposed in them.”
He underscored the importance of some of the topics such as: “Essentials of the Public Procurement Act; “Overview of the National Strategy on Public Service Reforms and Critical Issues in Public Service Reforms and “Guidelines to Accounting Procedures and Imperatives in Ministries, Departments and Agencies.”
Advertisement
In his comment, Samuel Ogbuku, NDDC Managing Director, assured that the Governing Board was set to take the Commission to greater heights, stating: “We will soon roll out plans for developing the Niger Delta region. We will explore new areas of partnerships.”
The NDDC boss observed that the Commission recently inaugurated a committee on Public, Private Partnership, PPP, charged with exploring sustainable relationships which will impact positively on the people of the region.
According to him, “The PPP Committee is expected to review all the Commission’s existing partnerships as well as explore new partnerships that will result in enduring regional projects.”
Ogbuku said that the Committee will “identify, pursue and secure alternative sources of funding for the Commission’s projects and programmes,” as well as “draw up and adopt projects and programmes funding templates.”
Advertisement
Speaking on the retreat, the NDDC managing director said: “Uyo was chosen because we perceive Akwa Ibom State as a window of development in the Niger Delta region.”
Add a comment
