The Niger Delta Development Commission
(NDDC) has began moves to curb regional crisis affecting the people. Speaking in
a stakeholders meeting at the Hotel Presidential in Rivers State recently, the
acting managing Director, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, stated that the 2016 Partner
for Sustainable Development is a direct product of the Niger Delta Regional
Development Master Plan, for collaborating with stakeholders in the Niger Delta
region.
She
averred that the aim is to create
opportunity for partners to look at various challenges plaguing the Niger Delta
Region and proffer the way forward. She said the commission in collaboration
with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs would discuss strategies that
will make the region move forward. According to her, “The key objective of the
Partners for Sustainable development PSD is to provide a clearing-house of
information for stakeholders during project planning, budgeting and
implementation strategies, to ensure that stakeholders are aware of what others
are doing and planning to do…. It also affords stakeholders the opportunity to
devolve development functions and avoid duplication of efforts and waste of
scarce resources” she said.
Highlights of the meeting were presentations
on livelihoods, driving investments in the Region and underscoring the role of the
civil society in Development. Stake holders in attendance were Eze Ikegwuruka,
paramount ruler of Ngbirichi in Imo State, Mrs, Belema Wakama Permanent
Secretary to the ministry of Niger Delta and others.
On his part Ikegwuruka charged the Federal
Government, Oil Companies and other contributors to religiously make
their statutory contributions to the funding of the Commission, noting that the
royal fathers, as the principal security officers and custodians of their
various kingdoms would do all that was necessary to ensure that sanity returns
to the region.
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