The Federal Government has said it is committed to fostering a viable pathway to the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.
The Minister, of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio stated this recently at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Strategic Retreat entitled : “collabor4ating, Planning and Re-strategizing for a Better Niger Delta region”, in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
TheFact Nigeria gathered that the retreat was aimed at exploring effective ways that would foster the development of the communities where oil and gas are extracted, managed and recalibrated.
It was further designed to midwife the actualisation of an active NDDC budgeting system and process at all levels.
According to Akpabio,: “For the Commission to effectively and efficiently deliver on its mandate as captured in Section 7 of the NDDC Acts (as amended), we must look for ways at achieving an all inclusive budget in order to address overbearing external influences”.
He however, lamented that “20 years after the establishment of NDDC, we are still here looking for better strategy to ushering the kind of development that sustains our people’s livelihoods and fulfill our shared dream of a better Niger Delta region instead of celebrating successes achieved in the region”.
This was as the minister disclosed that presently, there was a stronger commitment to restore collaboration among stakeholders, in fostering a common roadmap, establishing effective and efficient protocols for sustainable development in the region.
The Minister added thus: “We must be bold on many fronts to tackle factors which have negated and continued to negate the important work of implementing development strategies and policies”.
He identified some factors to be tackled in the Commission and the region which include; Corruption, Issues of governance (misuse of public resources, poor service delivery and poor enforcement of law), non-existent monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes.
Others are, organisational behavior and implementation issues and lack of transparency and accountability in performance information and outcomes.
He said the consequences have been lingering restiveness, the breakdown of trust, abuse and misuse of power between officials and communities embezzlement and attendant violence amongst others, he added that every concerned party has been fingered as contributory to the challenges in establishing good governance.
Akpabio, in a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relation,Deworitshe Patricia, enjoined that there must be a conscious strategy and attitudinal change from all in order to connect to the vision and mandate of the Commission that will bring about sustainable development of the region.
Chairman Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, emphasized on the need for mutual understanding between the National Assembly and stakeholders to avoid conflict “as in situations of conflict and misunderstanding, all parties will lose out”.
He solicited for cooperation in lawmaking, budgeting and appointments in order to move the region forward.
Chairman, House Committee on NDDC, Hon. Olubunmi Ojo stated that there is need for cooperation and collaboration between the Executive and the Legislative arm of Government in order to get things right in the Niger Delta region.
He pledged his unflinching support to the Ministry and Management of NDDC to ensure that most of the issues currently experienced in the Commission and Niger Delta region are addressed.
In his welcome address, the Interim Sole Administrator, NDDC, Effiong Akwa, stated that the NDDC is currently in consultations with stakeholders to distil commonalities for speedy development of the Niger Delta region.
According to him, “NDDC is born again, contrary to its unsavoury past ways, the core of our new personae is in continual consultations and collaboration with stakeholders to co-create commonalities for effective development of the Niger Delta region”.
He urged all stakeholders of NDDC and Niger Delta to synergize so as to create a common way forward for the benefit of the people of the region.
