Concerned that militant activities is at the verge of crippling Nigeria’s oil operations, the new management of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, says it will prioritise the development of the Non-oil sector in a bid to attract new industries.

The NDDC newly appointed Managing Director, Nsima Ekere, said the Governing Board and Management would focus on intervention programmes that will deliver real measurable developmental outcomes for the region and its citizens.

He stated this during the formal handover by the former Acting Managing Director of the Commission, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, to the new board led by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt on Monday.
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Ekere explained that the five priorities of the NDDC, going forward, will be to focus on the following: developing the non-oil sector thereby attracting new industries regional; human capital development/foster youth engagement; development/integration, ecological management and healthcare awareness, and stakeholder engagement/work with development partners.

“As we deal with reduced revenues as a result of a decline in global oil prices and economic sabotage which has crippled Nigeria’s oil operations, the NDDC needs to look to innovative and more efficient ways of doing things. We need to find new partners to help execute our mandate for the Niger Delta; strengthen existing relationships to ensure all stakeholders are working towards common goals and promote peace necessary for the development of the region” said Ekere.

He explained that for each of the listed priorities, key performance indicators designed to motivate behaviours in the communities and create transparency on NDDC’s performance will determine success. This strategy, he stated will enable the Commission achieve shared objectives with other Ministries, Depertments, and Agencies (MDAs), development partners and stakeholders, thus aligning their collective efforts.

Ekere said there are many organisations at home and abroad that care about the Niger Delta and want credible partners to work with, saying it’s an opportunity the NDDC cannot afford to waste in building a Niger
Delta that all can be proud of.

“However, we will have to do things differently to improve the transparency of our processes, leverage technology to increase
accountability and efficiency, consult stakeholders frequently, engage proactively and be creative about the programs that we design to uplift the people and the region,” he said.

Semenitari explained that when she assumed office, percentage of jobs completed in the commission as at December 2015 the hovered at about 25 percent. But, as at September 9, 2016, that figure had gone up to 41
percent .

“Working with our contractors we were able to gradually reduce our debts.

Today, NDDC jobs are no longer a pariah, as banks and other lenders are willing to fund our projects because we have been able to restore confidence. This is indeed gratifying. Details of our performance and achievements are duly contained in the handover notes,” she said.