NDDC PROJECTS IN AKWA IBOM; NIGER DELTA MINISTER ORDERS FOR COMPREHENSIVE REPORT

The Management of the Akwai Ibom state Liaison office of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC has been directed to carry out a detailed report on the status of all ongoing and abandoned projects of the Commission in the state for proper actions to fast track their completion.

This was the directive of the Honourable  Minister  of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, while carrying out an on- the- spot inspection of some NDDC projects in Akwa Ibom state, on Friday.

In a statement signed by Marshall Gundu, the Director of Press in the Ministry, on behalf of the Honourable Minister, it states:

"We came to look at the projects of NDDC in particular because, the debt profile  of the Commission is in excess of one trillion naira and it is quite disturbing that with the huge investment of resources from oil companies, government and all intervention programmes, the Niger Delta as a whole is still very backward", the Minister lamented.

Pastor Nguru added that it was the major concern for the government that people were not seeing the dividends of the investments of government, saying he decided to have an on- the -spot assessment and objective view of whatever was being done by the Commission.

"It is worthy of note that this inspection by the Minister was the first exercise he had carried out on the Niger Delta Development Commission projects, since he inaugurated the Board and management of the Commission in November, 2016, when it was brought under the supervision of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs", the statement reads.

Some of the projects inspected by the Minister included the Prototype students hostel located at the University of Uyo and an abandoned road project site at Ikot Akpatek, in Onna Local Government Area.

On the Prototype hostel which took off in 2004, but has been abandoned since 2015, the Minister sought to know the mobilisation sum so far and a reassessment of work done compared to the total amount received since the take off of the project. 

Also, the Minister wanted to know the cause of the abandonedf road project at Ikot Akpatek.

The Niger Delta Minister reiterated that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was bent on curbing all excesses and duplication of projects that caused waste of resources leading to low level of implementation. 

"If the state government has decided to award the road project in Ikot Akpatek, the Federal Government, will have to liaise with the state on the acceptable format of executing the project, knowing that two contractors will not be taking resources on the same project", he added. 

"This has happened in several locations and we are not comfortable with it. So where we have knowledge of it early enough we will take action that will cause the resources of one of them to be deployed  elsewhere", he emphasised.

He stressed that the platform that had been created in having a synergy with all agencies concerned with development projects in the Niger Delta region would ensure an objective opinion of all parties involved.

"When it concerns issues of development, we make sure that we do not have divisions because it is not the people who are the managers of the system that intend to benefit, it is the members of the public".

"At present, we are expecting approval from the Presidency to audit all projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission as was done in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs; once that approval is given, we will set into action, and we will make sure that those who do not have capacity to do their projects will relinquish such projects on terms that are acceptable within rules of procurement, and those who have capacity, but failed to do, will be caused to complete such projects by whatever means", the Minister said.

In clarifying the purpose of the project audit, the Minister said that it was not intended to make anybody suffer, but the concern of Government was to ensure that what any man took commitment to do, was accomplished. 

"Our concern is to make the projects work", he emphasized.

Speaking during the tour of the MNDA Minister, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ephraim Inyang, who was in the Minister's entourage to the project sites, alleged that most of the NDDC abandoned projects in the state were published in the past by the Commission as completed. 

Inyang assured the Minister that the report of what the state government has discovered on the NDDC projects would  be submitted to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, with a view to compare with what the staff of the Commission will submit. 

"We will make sure that every project has a report and a picture so that we come to the same level", he said.

In a related development, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs used the opportunity of the national assignment in Akwa Ibom state to attend the Youth Empowerment Summit, 2017 for Christian Youths held at Uyo, the state capital on Friday, under the Theme: "Building Capacity for Maximum Impact". 

Pastor Usani Nguru Usani, while addressing the gathering, charged the youths to demonstrate their love for Nigeria by praying for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

He also visited survivors of electrocution at the football viewing centre where football fans who were electrocuted in Calabar, who were still recuperating and receiving treatment at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Cross River state capital, on Friday. 

Nguru prayed for the quick recovery of the affected people, promising to report what he saw appropriately to the Federal Government for further possible assistance. The Minister gave a sum of money to the management of the Hospital in support of the affected people.

He thanked the Hospital Management headed by the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Thomas U. Agan for ensuring that no life was lost among the victims who were taken to the Hospital alive.

In his address, the Chief Medical Director expressed delight for the Minister's visit and kind donation and called for more support of the Federal Government in improving the facilities in the hospital.