The rapid development of the Niger Delta region, which is the core mandate of the Niger Delta Development Commission, got an impetus when the current management of the NDDC, led by Dr Samuel Ogbuku, mounted the saddle as the Managing Director of the commission on January 5, 2023.
From day one, Ogbuku and his team were confronted with the daunting challenges of development in the Niger Delta region. However, the challenges spurred them to begin to look for new ways of achieving results. That inexorably led to the decision by the commission to begin to do things differently.
In charting a new course, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku had to use new strategies, which emphasised transparency and accountability.
The new trajectory takes into account the vision of the NDDC, which is to create an enabling environment for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region. The management is also guided by the commission’s mission, which is “to facilitate the sustainable, even and rapid development of the Niger Delta, into a region that is socially stable, politically peaceful, economically prosperous and ecologically regenerative.”
The paradigm shift at the NDDC did not come by chance. It came from good leadership. According to General Colin Powell, former Chairman of the United States Joint Chief of Staff and the first African American to be appointed as Secretary of State, you have to appoint the right calibre of people to deliver good results.
He said, “The organisation doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything either. Theories of management don’t matter. Endeavours succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.”
The executive management team of the NDDC today appears to be hitting the right notes.
Indeed, the Dr. Samuel Ogbuku led management signaled that it would not be business as usual as it would enthrone transparency in its operations and reverse the resource-curse syndrome in the Niger Delta region.
Under Dr. Samuel Ogbuku’s watch, the NDDC has redirected its determination to take the region to greater heights through engaging in public private partnership arrangements with state governments, international oil companies as well as international donor agencies with a view to executing mega projects for the region.
To truly make a difference, the management has adopted new methods to effectively drive sustainable development in the region. Thus, it decided to espouse the PPP model to provide alternative sources of funding for key development projects and programmes.
Consequently, a management committee on PPP was constituted by the NDDC on January 18, 2023. The commission observed that the only outstanding partnership it has entered into since inception was with respect to the construction of the Ogbia-Nembe Road. The 27-kilometre road, which connects 14 different communities of Bayelsa State, was constructed in partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Company.
That multi-billion flagship project illustrates the kind of challenges confronting the Niger Delta. It cuts through the mangrove swamps with many bridges and 99 culverts.
To further explore the possibilities presented by the PPP model, the commission organised a PPP summit in Lagos on April 25. At the summit, with the theme: “Rewind to Rebirth,” the commission signed a memorandum of understanding with a United States-based firm, Atlanta Global Resources Inc., to build a railway network that will connect the nine states of the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC management had previously engaged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to propose a partnership for speedy development of the Niger Delta.
The NNPC Group Managing Director, Mr Mele Kyari, agreed to co-fund some of NDDC’s projects tailored towards infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region. The partnership overture to the NNPC came on the heels of similar moves to get the hands of the SPDC.
Again, the commission engaged members of the Oil Producers Trade Section of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry during their recent meeting in Lagos. According to Ogbuku, the management “recognises that the OPTS, which embodies the IOCs, is a critical stakeholder of the NDDC, that is second only to the people of the region.”
Obviously, the NDDC alone cannot handle the task of developing the Niger Delta region. The commission needs the support of all stakeholders to achieve the goal of developing the region. NDDC funds alone cannot fully develop the region. It needs the partnership of the IOCs to achieve this.
These engagements have improved the visibility and broadened the scope of NDDC’s partnerships. In recognition of this fact, Ogbuku said “stakeholders’ engagements were critical to the commission’s effectiveness.” We have, therefore, met with the civil society groups, traditional rulers and community leaders.
The traditional institution, being a highly revered group, was given due attention. Thus, the management visited the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, in his palace in Warri, Delta State and the Amanyanabo of Okochiri, King Ateke Tom, in his palace in Okochiri, Okrika Local Government Area.
To consolidate on the engagements, the management inaugurated a 2024 budget committee to interface with stakeholders in the budget process. The committee was charged with identifying the vision of the NDDC as an interventionist agency in order to prioritise the allocation of available resources.
Under Dr. Ogbuku’s watch, the NDDC has embarked on several legacy projects including regional roads, bridges, electricity projects, school buildings, hospitals, shore reclamation and protection, among others.
The NDDC Healthcare Programme, which caters to the needs of rural communities, recently carried out a free medical outreach across the nine states of the region which was successful, leading to plans for holding the event biannually. The commission had acquired and distributed 13 ambulances to regional hospitals in response to a cholera outbreak and was working to secure more ambulances and cholera vaccines to prevent further incidents.
In the education sector, 2,323 students in the region had so far benefited from foreign post-graduate scholarship programmes. In response to the rising costs of foreign education, the NDDC is considering offering local undergraduate scholarships.
The footprint of the Commission can be seen by even the blind, the people centered projects such as the Light – Up Niger Delta program harnessing the benefit of renewable energy resources derived from Solar energy,
Project “HOPE” launched and executed with the second phase launched already and kicked-off, NDDC Chamber of Commerce collaborating with Port Harcourt Chambers of Commerce to drive inclusivity in the region, and many youths empowerment centered driven programs amongest others on its remarkable growth trajectory.
Under Dr. Ogbuku Ogbuku, the NDDC Board is united in the resolve to fast-track the development of the region, saying: Recently, NDDC intervened to repair the failed sections of the East-West Road between Ahoada and Ula-Okobo town in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
NDDC also carried out emergency repairs of the failed sections of the East-West Road between Warri in Delta State and Benin in Edo State, especially the dilapidated sections along Ibadulume, Amukpe roundabout.
The NDDC, under the leadership of Ogbuku, initiated and launched several transformative projects that brought remarkable improvement across various communities in the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC commissioned five impactful projects in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo and Ondo states, covering roads, bridges and electricity projects in May 2024,
The projects included the 9km Obehie-Oke-Ikpe road in Ukwa West LGA, Abia State; the 25.7-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road in Bayelsa State; the 45km double-circuit 33KV feeder line from Omotosho Power Station to Okitipupa, Ondo State and the NDDC 6km Iko-Atabrikang-Akata-Opulom-Ikot Inwang-Okoroutip-Iwochang Road and 600m Ibeno Bridge in Ibeno LGA, Akwa Ibom State.
Recently, the NDDC for revived the free healthcare programmes that provided 20,000 surgeries, attended 45,000 patients, and distributed essential medical supplies to rural communities.
Upon assumption of office, Ogbuku reorganised the NDDC administrative system to expedite service delivery and demonstrated the Commission’s commitment to due process and transparency by introducing measures to build confidence and trust among all partners and stakeholders.
The NDDC has inaugurated the completed 132/33kv electricity sub-station it built at Ode-Erinje in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, to light up five local government areas in the state.
Another flag-ship project ready for inauguration is the 29-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road in Bayelsa State, which we executed in partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC.
The NDDC had made significant gains since it embraced Public-Private Partnership, PPP, as a major policy thrust.
One of such positive fall-outs, is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, between the NDDC and the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited, NLNG, to collaborate on diverse fronts in the delivery of sustainable development projects.
In the area of health, Ogbuku said that the World Health Organisation, WHO, had agreed to partner with NDDC to implement a Health Insurance Project for the Niger Delta region.
In a bid to bolster its governance and credibility, the NDDC has introduced the Holistic Opportunity Projects of Engagement (HOPE), a data-driven initiative aimed at tailoring its programmes to the qualifications and needs of the youth. Additionally, the commission has partnered with KPMG to enhance governance and accountability. The NDDC’s recent partnership with KPMG to enhance governance and accountability is a bold move,
The NDDC’s Youth Internship Scheme offers a glimpse of hope for a region that has long been mired in neglect and underdevelopment.
The youth of the Niger Delta deserve more than temporary solutions; they deserve a future where their potential is fully realised, and their aspirations are supported by a thriving socio-economic ecosystem.
This publication is sponsored by the Niger Delta Situation Room ( NDSR), as part of it’s positive advocacy program.