‘NDDC has executed 7,483 projects’

• Partners anti-graft agencies to end project abandonment
The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, yesterday, said the Commission executed a total of 7,483 projects in the Niger Delta states.

Ogbuku, represented by the Executive Director (Projects), Victor Anatal, disclosed this during a Media Tour and Sensitisation Engagement with media executives and some reporters, held at the Horlikins Event Place, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

At the event, attended by the President, Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), Eze Anaba; the former Editor of The Guardian, Alabi William; the Managing Director and the Editor in Chief of Daily Sun Newspapers, Onuoha Uke, among others, Ogbuku stressed that out of the total number of projects, 5,141.3km roads through swamps and virgin forests, with 42 bridges and thousands of hydraulic structures and 87 jetties were built, while electricity projects, including provision of transformers were provided to boost electricity, including agriculture and educational projects, within the period under review.

Within the period, he disclosed that 56,786 solar-powered streetlight projects were executed, noting that one of the challenges was from the counterpart funding agencies that were yet to remit funds to the Commission, urging them to do so without further delay.

MEANWHILE, in a bid to tackle project abandonment and conflicts, the NDDC has entered into collaboration with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to train its officers.

As part of its effort, the Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution (DCR) of the agency, in partnership with Peace and Development Projects (PEDEP), organised a capacity-building programme for over 150 staff members of the Commission across the nine Niger Delta states.

The programme was tagged, ‘Promoting Awareness for Transparency and Accountability in the Public Sector,’ aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote transparency and accountability in their work.