NDDC Stability: Implications for Peace in the Region

Sylvanus Ogolodom-Clinton

Set up in 2000 to tackle widespread poverty and devastating youth restiveness within the Niger Delta area, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) came on stream as a tailored solution to the multifaceted conundrums within the oil-rich region at the time.

Wanton destruction of national assets, kidnapping of expatriates, rival gang wars, bursting of oil pipelines, disillusionment, rising poverty, mistrust and general state of insecurity were among the milieu common to the region before the advent of the commission.

More than two decades later, the commission, despite teething challenges, has continued to sustain the people’s hopes for a brighter future.

On an incremental basis, there have been marked physical developments within the Niger Delta States that attest to adherence to the vision and mission of the commission. Not to mention the sheer quality of human capital development taking place regularly under the watch of the Commission especially of late. Since his appointment as Managing Director of the NDDC, many agree that Dr. Samuel Ogbuku comes with the requisite experience needed to creditably discharge his duties as NDDC boss.  Little wonder why he has been able to crystalise President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed Hope agenda in his operations at the NDDC where he provides economic life-lines that cascade down to a vast majority of the masses, especially among the nine Niger Delta states where the commission has a first line mandate.

 One of the unique ways in which Dr. Ogbuku has been transforming lives more than any other has been through the massive mobilisation of people especially the youth to form the core of his broad based human capital development program within and outside the shores of the nation.

Pundits agree that since its inception in office, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku has successfully transitioned the commission from being a mere transactional agency to one that truly connects the region and its people to their true aspirations of living a sustainable and dignified life.

This implies that through purposeful stewardship , the commission now places high premium on set objectives that directly impact on the wellbeing and prosperity of the people and the region over and above any group or individual interests .

This perhaps explains why some aggrieved underdogs who once benefitted massively from the old transactional order find the new era in the NDDC highly disquieting and bad for business as usual, hence the stuttering rented crowd paid to destabilize the Dr. Samuel Ogbuku led NDDC and its board, albeit a failed hatchet job.

 Fortunately, Tinubu , a highly visionary and intuitional leader has long assessed and found the qualities needed in Dr. Samuel Ogbuku and appointed him as his ombudsman worthy  to undertake the task of delivering prosperity ,equity, and peace throughout the length and breadth of the oil rich NDDC states.

This is why despite distractions from fifth columnists, the commission has remained steadfast in actualising goals that are in keeping with the renewed Hope agenda of drawing many families and communities out of the clutches of poverty for life.

This is no mean task but the commission is already fully equipped to achieve this feat, not only to prove cynics wrong but also to demonstrate goodwill to all people in the region.

Recently, the commission under Ugbuku’s leadership launched the largest educational investment in Africa by distributing 45,000 U-Lesson Educational Tablets and Software in primary and secondary schools across the Niger Delta region.

This project has already been dubbed the largest ever educational technology investment in the Africa sub-region.

Ogbuku at the phenomenal launch of the project described the U-Lesson Educational Tablets and Software initiative as a game changer in the ICT driven educational sector needed to break away from the obsolete method of teaching in the modern world.  He remarked that the agency is determined to further avail the people of the region with the wherewithal they require to make a head start in life going forward.

He maintained that the initiative is a legacy project of the NDDC designed to key into the vision of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to drive growth in the region through ICT backed education.

 He explained that the tablets and software have already been built to adapt to the nation’s educational teaching format, making it relevant, effective and cost free to use.

One of the key adaptive features of the software is the offline video library which allows learners to play, pause and rewind educational materials without the need for internet. This is indeed a launch into the digital world as reiterated by the paramount ruler of Onopa in Bayelsa state, Chief Tamama Morris who also lauded the initiative for being first of its kind.

At a recent two-day meeting organised by the Ministry of Niger Delta Development in collaboration with the Delta state government held in Asaba the Delta state capital,the NDDC boss reiterated the marching order given to him by Mr President to ensure that all nooks and cranny of the nine states of the NDDC are transformed to significantly improve the living standards of the people.

Ogbuku hinted that efforts are already in top gear to commission the completed 132/33kv electricity sub-station the NDDC built at Ode-Erinije in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo state.The installation is expected to power electricity to five local government areas of the state.

In the same stride, Ogbuku hinted that the commission has also completed another flagship project ready for inauguration this time in Bayelsa state. It is the 29-kilometers Ogbia-Nembe road which the commission completed in conjunction with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

No doubt, that road comes with significant amount of socio-economic benefits for the people of the state and her neighbouring communities.

The NDDC boss further emphasized that although media mention of projects executed is vital for public enlightenment, nevertheless the commission has on several occasions completed landmark projects without spotlight in the press.

One of such major project completed but unannounced is the 1-15MVA 33/11kva injection substation in Amufi-Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo state.

Going forward, the NDDC boss has pledged that the commission would deliver 100 percent on all it’s core mandate, especially in view of the new Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreements recently signed with strategic partners across board.

Such synergy he said positions the commission to increase the scope and value size of projects, thus empowering the commission to deliver massive projects in record time.

One of such strategic PPP agreement is the one between the NDDC and the Liquified Natural Gas Limited(NLNG) to deliver on long term sustainable projects.

Additionally, in the health sector, the NDDC boss has hinted that the commission has reached an understanding  with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to implement health insurance cover for people within the region. This no doubt would go a long way to boost life expectancy level in the area as well as impact general wellbeing of the people.

To prioritise the health needs of the people, it has been observed that the NDDC has reintroduced the free healthcare program of the agency to cater for the health and medicament needs of rural dwellers in the NDDC states.

So far a total of 573,688 people in the region are known to have benefitted from the laudable scheme.

In the educational subsector, no fewer than 2,323 students in the region have  benefitted from the Foreign Post-Graduate Scholarship Programme of the commission,just as fresh entry for qualification in the 2024/2025 scholarship scheme has been opened for new beneficiaries.

In the area of agriculture which is central to food security of the nation, the NDDC recently performed the inaugural harvest of its rice and cassava produce under the auspices of rice and cassava farmers empowerment programme at Warrake in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo state.

According to Dr. Winnifred Madume who represented the NDDC boss at the event, the rice and cassava produce were done through mechanized farming funded by the commission to boost food production and to encourage young farmers to embrace agriculture in a large scale.

The NDDC boss reiterated the resolve of the commission to extend the program to all nine states under the NDDC just as he pledged support for all round season planting by farmers in Akwa Ibom, Rivers and others.

While commending the Warrake community for providing land for the farming, the NDDC boss also promised to utilize the proceeds of the farm in replicating the project in other states with maximum mechanization from land preparation stage to harvesting proper, making for robust agronomic practices.

Further in the agriculture sector, the NNDC boss disclosed that the commission recently  secured partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) to the tune of $60 million (about  N21 billion) for a job creation programme designed to curb youth unemployment in the Niger Delta region.

The NDDC under the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta(Life-ND) project in a tripartite agreement with the commission, the Federal Government and IFAD have attracted no fewer than $20 million into various rural economy especially to boost agriculture in the region.

This leverage the NDDC boss stressed was fast tracked by the unwavering commitment of Mr President towards the success of the scheme in the region and pledged more support in the days ahead.

No doubt, the new feathers so far added to the cap of the NDDC chief executive are well deserved just within a short span of demonstrating competence.

As they say,the reward for hard work is more work.

Many pundits agree that even bigger and more robust packages are underway for the region under his watch.

Ogbuku is an accomplished scholar who holds a Doctorate Degree in Political and Administrative Studies. He’s Masters Degree was on Development Studies. Prior to then,he attended the University of Port-Harcourt where he obtained a first degree in Political Science and Administrative Studies. His interest in academic work has continued to propel him to seek excellence in all that he does especially to galvanize human and material resources to better the lot of his people and others outside his geopolitical sphere.

Silvanus Ogolodom Clinton wrote in from Abuja