NDDC to Strengthen Institutional Accountability, Staff Wellness, Service Excellence Through Annual Masterclass

Sunday Okobi

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to institutional accountability, stakeholder satisfaction, staff welfare, and sustainable development outcomes as it commenced its Annual Masterclass on Corporate Service Excellence.

The three-day masterclass, with the theme, “Beyond Service Delivery: Institutional Accountability, Stakeholder Satisfaction and Sustainable Development Outcomes in NDDC,” taking place in Ikeja, is designed to strengthen the commission’s administrative processes, improve organisational effectiveness, and promote professionalism in public service delivery.

Welcoming participants to the programme, Executive Director, Corporate Services (EDCS), NDDC, Hon Ifedayo Abegunde, said the initiative provided an opportunity for the commission to assess its institutional processes, review administrative and operational practices, and identify practical measures to enhance its capacity to deliver on its development mandate.

He emphasised that the commission’s performance should not be measured solely by the number of projects executed, resources deployed or programmes initiated, but also by the quality of its governance, efficiency of internal processes, integrity of operations, stakeholder satisfaction and tangible development outcomes.

According to Abegunde, who was represented by a legal practitioner, Nzelaw Anele, “Corporate service excellence is a collective responsibility that requires the commitment of every department, unit and staff member of the Commission.”

He stated that transparency, integrity, accountability, efficiency and value for money must remain central to the discharge of official responsibilities, stressing that the quality of administrative decisions, timely service delivery, professional engagements and proper documentation contribute significantly to public confidence in the institution.

The executive director explained that the masterclass would focus on five critical areas, including public value and development-oriented service delivery; institutional accountability, governance and quality management; sustainable development, accessibility and social inclusion; institutional performance, stakeholder satisfaction and continuous improvement; and staff personal healthcare, wellness and workplace wellbeing.

He particularly highlighted the importance of staff health and wellbeing, describing employees as among the commission’s most valuable assets.

Abegunde observed that physical health, mental wellbeing, emotional stability and favourable workplace conditions had significant implications for staff productivity, concentration, decision-making and professional effectiveness.

He encouraged participants to embrace preventive healthcare, regular medical examinations, healthy lifestyles, physical activities, mental health awareness, stress management, and workplace safety as essential components of human capital development.

According to him, the commission’s aspiration should be to build not only a competent workforce but also a healthy, motivated and resilient workforce capable of sustaining high standards of service delivery.

He stated that one of the major features of this year’s masterclass was the introduction of a complementary Service Excellence Implementation Bootcamp for selected staff members.

The EDCS explained that the bootcamp would serve as the practical implementation component of the masterclass, translating resolutions and recommendations from the sessions into actionable departmental procedures, quality assurance tools, stakeholder service improvement initiatives, performance indicators and workplace wellness commitments.

He urged participants to ensure that their contributions and recommendations were practical, constructive and capable of addressing existing institutional challenges.

Abegunde stressed that the success of the programme would not be determined by the number of presentations delivered or resolutions documented, but by the extent to which the recommendations translated into measurable improvements in the commission’s operations and the quality of services provided to stakeholders.

He commended the management and board of the commission for their continued commitment to institutional capacity development and professional excellence.

The executive director also lauded the organising team, resource persons and participants for their contributions towards the success of the initiative.

He called on all participants to use the opportunity to reinforce their collective commitment to building an accountable, responsive, inclusive, efficient and development-oriented commission.

The masterclass will underscore the NDDC’s determination to strengthen its internal systems, enhance workforce capacity and ensure that institutional excellence translates into lasting value for the people and communities of the Niger Delta region.

One of the resource persons, Professor Sylvester Odion of the Lagos State University, tailored his lecture on service delivery and accountability, especially in the context of NDDC and development-focused institutions.

Odion’s central argument was that institutions could not achieve their objectives unless they were accountable, and accountability should be understood as ownership of the process—taking responsibility for functions, activities, successes, and failures.

Odion emphasised that where errors or failures occurred, the institution and its officials should own up to them, learn from them, and use that learning to advance the organization’s objectives. He linked this directly to development, stating, “NDDC and similar institutions need strong institutional accountability to achieve their development vision.”

He described the outcome as a kind of “balance sheet” of successes and failures, where recognising successes and admitting failures were both important for progress.

When asked where the management of the commission should focus more attention, he identified responsibility as the key area.

Odion stated, during an interview with journalists, “The commission must pursue its designed objectives and targets without allowing itself to be derailed by political interventions and variations.

“In short, management should prioritise institutional responsibility, accountability, target-driven delivery, and insulation from undue political interference.”