Take Ownership, Responsibility to Protect Projects in Your Domain, NDDC Urges Community Leaders

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

Concerned about the widespread vandalism and theft of projects, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has urged community leaders in the Niger Delta region to take full responsibility for safeguarding and protecting projects within their areas.

During a capacity-building session in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the NDDC’s Bayelsa State Director, Godknows Alamieyeseigha, emphasized the importance of community ownership and protection of NDDC projects.

He stressed these projects belong to the communities, underscoring the need for vigilant safeguarding.

 Representing the State NDDC director, Victor Oputa, highlighted the purpose of the program, which is to educate communities on their role in protecting NDDC projects.

He advised community leaders not to disrupt projects but to address concerns through proper channels.

“We have advised the communities through the leadership and representatives that when the commission hands over projects to the community during the site handing over and introduction of the contractor to the community, we always emphasized that they should not stall the project or engage in violent confrontation but come to the commission and lay their complaints and we will take it from there.”

Francis Abayomi, Lead Consultant of Peace and Development Projects (PEDEP), expressed concern over the vandalism of projects by intruders and emphasized the importance of community ownership from the project’s inception.

He emphasized the need for communities to support contractors and protect project facilities from destruction.

He said the engagement with community leaders aims to remind them that NDDC projects are funded by community resources and should be guarded by community members.

His words: “There is the need for ownership of the projects and the ownership should not just start from when the projects are completed, but from the of siting, so the communities should develop this eagerness to engage.

“The era of antagonizing contractors is over; this is the era of knowing what the project is all about and giving the necessary support to the contractors.

“And these projects must be guarded so that no intruder will come and start destroying or carting away the facilities and we believe that it is only the community that can do this because nobody can better protect the facilities than members of the communities.”

The focus of the stakeholders meeting is on fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among communities to ensure the projects’ security and longevity.