The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has concluded a two-day retreat for its Directorate of Legal Services (DLS) staff to promote professional development, team cohesion and strategic planning among the staff.

Held in Lagos, with the theme: “Promoting Legal Service Efficiency And Excellence In The Public Sector,” the retreat was tailored towards ensuring that the participants learn new concepts to aid their service delivery, and to reposition them for better efficiency.

In his welcome address, the Director, Directorate of Legal Services, Stephen Ighomuaye, said the retreat was particularly fitting as it reflected the directorate’s avowed commitment to continue to raise the bar of excellence in all aspects of its service delivery.

“The role of the Directorate of Legal Services remains pivotal and centrally important in the operations of the NDDC and will continue to be so in the years to come.

“Therefore, we cannot afford to drop our guard of excellence, hard work and effective service delivery to the commission and the region. We must continuously strive to be the best not just as a directorate but also as individuals. We must embrace the ideals of continuous personal development and teamwork while making giant strides. The Commission and the region require nothing less from us,” he said.

In his keynote presentation, the Principal Attorney of Malachy Ugwummadu’s Chamber, Malachy Ugwummadu, urged the commission to ensure that effective collaboration and professional networking are properly coordinated and enhanced for high level delivery systems approximating international best practices.

Ugwummadu said effective collaboration and professional networking would engender some healthy competitions and introduce peer review interactions towards greater efficiencies in legal service delivery.

He also highlighted the important roles of the commission in driving the growth and development of the Niger Delta areas and its people.

He also underscored the need for the commission to adopt technology in its interventionist services to achieve efficiency, adding that the importance of procurement of cutting-edge and state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology to fast-track outputs and improve productivity in the commission is very essential.

“If you remain analogue, when indeed you ought to be at the same pace with the evolution, the tech evolution that has come, and come to think of it, it is paramount more, even in these oil companies and their operations, just so that you must be properly equipped and resourced in that regard to be able to engage,” he said.

In her address titled: Driving Legal Service Efficiency and Excellence through Technology and Innovation, Adebomi Adekeye of Jackson Etti & Edu, said without the adoption of technology, NDDC risked inefficiencies, delayed project execution, and diminished trust among stakeholders.

“By embedding technology into their core operations, legal officers can ensure compliance, uphold governance standards, and drive impactful socio-economic outcomes across the region,” she stated.