Abubakar Momoh Urges Niger Delta Stakeholders to Unite for Regional Transformation

• Sen. Ekpenyong seeks NDDC Act Amendment to institutionalise master plan 

•Ogbuku unveils governance framework, community monitoring committee

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, has urged stakeholders in the Niger Delta to unite and demonstrate stronger commitment to the development of the region, saying no single institution can address the region’s complex infrastructure, economic, and environmental challenges.

Momoh made the call yesterday in Port Harcourt at the 2026 Partners for Sustainable Development Conference (PSD) organised by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), with the theme, “Synergy for Transformation.”

He said sustainable development in the region required collaboration among the federal and state governments, NDDC, private sector, traditional institutions, development partners, and communities.

According to him, stakeholders must move beyond ceremonial declarations and focus on measurable outcomes, with clearly defined programmes, responsibilities, timelines, and mechanisms for assessing progress.

Momoh also disclosed that the federal government was working towards a National Policy on Regional Development aimed at harmonising the activities of regional development commissions and aligning their interventions with national development priorities.

He said regional development plans must be consistent with federal policies and called for greater investment in infrastructure, agriculture, agro-processing, renewable energy, digital services, transport, tourism, manufacturing, and rural economies.

The minister cited the ongoing transformation of infrastructure in the Niger Delta, including the 1.2-kilometre Ataba-Kaaba Bridge in Rivers State, which is to be named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Bridge, as evidence of the administration’s commitment to the region.

He said the bridge, alongside road, electricity and water projects, demonstrated the importance of partnerships in delivering development.

Momoh urged traditional rulers, governors, communities, the youth, and women to take ownership of development initiatives, stressing that infrastructure alone cannot eradicate poverty without corresponding investment in livelihoods, skills, markets, and local economies.

Chairman of Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, called for the institutionalisation of the NDDC regional master plan through an amendment to the commission’s enabling law.

Ekpenyong said embedding the plan in law would ensure that the commission’s development direction was not dependent on the goodwill or personal convictions of individuals occupying leadership positions.

He said the Niger Delta must transition “from extraction to production, from raw materials to value addition, from intervention to enterprise, and from environmental degradation to resilience”.

The senator urged NDDC to focus on economic transformation and ensure that resources derived from the region helped build sustainable businesses, infrastructure, skills and institutions.

NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said the commission had introduced a governance framework designed by KPMG to strengthen accountability, checks and balances, and institutional continuity.

Ogbuku said the framework had been approved by the NDDC board and reviewed by anti-corruption agencies, adding that it would establish clear roles and limits for board members, management, and staff.

He announced plans for full digitisation of the commission, saying automation would improve efficiency and help curb delays and opportunities for corruption.

He disclosed that stakeholders had agreed to establish a PSD Community Monitoring Committee to assess the implementation of commitments and present a scorecard at the next conference.

Ogbuku said NDDC could not develop the Niger Delta alone, urging state governments, private companies, communities, and other partners to work together.

Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, stressed the need for governors of the nine oil-producing states to partner with NDDC for sustainable development in the region.

Uzodinma, represented by his deputy, Mrs Chinyere Ekomaru, said the Imo State government would continue to support President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to bring hope to the people of the state and the Niger Delta.

Chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Godknows Boladei Igali, also commended the current NDDC board and management for promoting stakeholder engagement. Igali urged the federal government to constitute the presidential monitoring committee provided for under the NDDC Act.

Igali stressed the need to institutionalise good policies so that they could survive changes in administration.

He called for the effective operation of the advisory and oversight structures provided for under the NDDC Act, saying regular meetings would strengthen accountability and ensure that the commission remains responsive to the people of the region.