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Mr.
Ekere was speaking as the new Board, led by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, took
over the reins of the interventionist agency at the NDDC headquarters in Port
Harcourt on Monday.
He
said the new NDDC will operate a 4-R Initiative, as a strategic roadmap for development,
adding that “this would involve restructuring the balance sheet, reforming the
governance protocols, restoring the Commission’s core mandate and reaffirming its
commitment to doing what was right and proper.”
The
NDDC boss reaffirmed the need for cooperation in the Niger Delta, stating: “We
will work to promote cooperation, collaboration and synergy among stakeholders,
such as state and local governments, oil and gas companies, donor agencies,
civil society organisations, community-based organisations and other
traditional institutions, in order to make regional development a shared vision
and common aspiration.
“We
would have to do things differently to improve the transparency of our
processes, leverage technology to increase accountability and efficiency,
consult stakeholders frequently, engage proactively and be creative about the
programmes that we design, to uplift the people and the region.”
Mr.
Ekere said the focus of the Commission would be on intervention programmes that
would deliver real measurable developmental outcomes for the region and its
citizens.
“Five
priorities of NDDC,” he said, “will be to focus on regional development and
integration; ecological management and health awareness; stakeholder engagement
and work with development partners and NGOs; human capital development and
fostering youth engagement as well as developing the non-oil sector to attract
new industries.”
The
NDDC Chief Executive Officer commended the deep interest shown by Mr. President
Muhammadu Buhari in changing the Niger Delta narrative. “The recent
engagements with leaders and stakeholders of the region, the inauguration of a
new Board, the transfer of oversight responsibility over the Commission to the
Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Lagos-Calabar rail link project.
These are significant actions that are bound to impact the region positively,” Mr.
Ekere said.
He
noted that the new board was starting at a critical time for the region and the
country, highlighting reduced revenues resulting from the combined effect of
decline in global oil prices and the crippling economic sabotage of Nigeria’s
oil production activities.
According
to the Managing Director, “NDDC needs to look to innovative and more efficient ways
of doing things. We need to find new partners to help execute our mandate
for the Niger Delta; strengthen existing relationships to ensure that all
stakeholders are working towards common goals and promote the peace that is
necessary for the development of the region.”
The Chairman of the
NDDC Board, Senator Ndoma-Egba, remarked that the NDDC was the first to get a
full board under the current administration of the All Progressive Congress,
APC, saying, for this reason, the NDDC should be guided by the principles of
change being espoused by the Federal Government.
He said: “Things will
be done differently because circumstance have changed. The economy is now more challenging and when
the times are changing you must get more innovative. We must cut excesses. So, we must be leaner. Our books must be cleaned up. Our projects must be properly supervised and
processes, must be audited. Our finances
must be audited so that we are lean and efficient.
“The times are
different and we must change with the times.
We must be creative and more efficient. I will chose the part of history
that brought change. I will not be part
of the group that would want to remain with the status quo.”
Senator Ndoma-Egba
assured that the Commission would design programmes and projects to engage the
young men and women of the region to ensure that they were gainfully employed,
stating: “We will teach them how to fish.”
He regretted that the
NDDC is perceived in some quarters as a contract awarding factory. “We must
rebrand. We mush refocus. We are determined to change the story in the NDDC,”
he declared.
In her speech before
handing over to Mr. Ekere, the former Acting Managing Director, Mrs. Ibim
Semenitari, noted that the only constant thing in life was change. “The good
thing about a relay race, is that all those running are set to achieve one
goal,” she said.
She thanked President
Buhari for giving her the privilege to serve the Niger Delta region and the
country and also for appointing the new Board, describing it as a crack team of
tried, tested and distinguished gentlemen.
Mrs. Semenitari revealed
that when she started work at NDDC, the percentage of job completion from
inception, hovered at less than 25 per cent. “By September 9,” she said, “that
figure had gone up to 41per cent. As at today, we are in the 50 per cent range.”
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