Former Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and ex-Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, has revealed the level of bureaucracy that fuels inefficiency and corruption within the agency.

According to him, political interference and instability have crippled the commission’s ability to deliver development to the Niger Delta region.

Ndoma-Egba, who stated this on The Exchange Podcast hosted by journalist Femi Soneye, disclosed that it once took 62 different signatures for a single contractor to receive payment from the commission.

He said the process is a perfect breeding ground for inefficiency and corruption.

The Senator recounted a conversation with his Managing Director where he was informed that it took 62 stops for a contractor to receive any payment.
He said he initially heard a figure of 53 but was corrected to 62.
“What does that imply? Serious bureaucracy. And what does serious bureaucracy breed? Inefficiency. What does inefficiency breed? Corruption,” he said.

The Senator recalled the initial launch of the NDDC master plan, a document that was generated through extensive stakeholder consultations, including communities, state governments, oil companies, and the federal government.

He expressed dismay that this vital plan was abandoned almost immediately after its launch, and that up till today, the commission operates without one.

He said: “It’s like you building a house in your village… you start with a plan. For the NDDC, the lack of a master plan means the commission is just walking in the dark, unable to effectively integrate an entire region economically.”

The former NDDC chairman said the problem is not limited to financial red tape but extends to structural and institutional dysfunctions that have undermined the commission since its inception.

Ndoma-Egba said his efforts to revive the abandoned plan through a reform committee were abruptly truncated when his board was dissolved via a news bulletin, without any formal communication from the Presidency or supervising ministry.

He described the arbitrary dissolution of boards as a major factor that breeds instability and short-termism in the agency.

He also narrated how an attempt to investigate allegations that contractors had to pay bribes before receiving their entitlements was violently disrupted. According to him, thugs invaded Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt, where the inauguration of the investigative panel was to hold, and dispersed the gathering.

The former Senate Leader argued that corruption in the public sector is often not premeditated but opportunistic, emerging from a system that encourages delay, discretion, and manipulation.

Ndoma-Egba urged the Federal Government to allow every NDDC board to complete its statutory four-year tenure as provided by law, saying leadership continuity is essential for proper planning and measurable progress.
“If the board is sure of its tenure, it can plan properly and deliver results. But when you keep dissolving boards arbitrarily, you destroy continuity and institutional memory,” he said.