Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has charged the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to do projects that would stand the test of time by looking beyond himself or anyone else.
The Governor who gave the charge when he received in audience the Acting Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Gbene (Dr) Joi Nuneih and her team at Government House Umuahia, noted that project selection should be done carefully taking into consideration the socio-economic impacts of such projects on the people.
Ikpeazu who enjoined them to exclude the projects the State is already handling and intervene only in the ones the State might not get to, maintaining that his administration had always focused on what the people could do which has enabled him to open up cities.
He further disclosed that he has been able to include Ohanku road, which had been abandoned for the past sixty years, in the World Bank all inclusive Projects, adding that the road had been under the NDDC Projects eight years before he came on board as Governor.
While calling for support for the new NDDC boss in her bid to remodel the NDDC around to cater for the needs of oil producing communities, Governor Ikpeazu encouraged to be bold and resilient in the face of challenges that could come her way.
He also lauded the member representating Bende in the House of Representatives who is also member of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC, Hon. Benjamin Kalu for his quality representation.
In her speech earlier, the Acting Managing Director of NDDC, Gbene Dr Joy Nuneih who disclosed that they were in the State to formally handover the list of NDDC projects in the State to the Governor as well as to see things for themselves.
She added that the projects the total of which is six hundred and thirty-three (633) on number are at their varous stages insisting that the essence of the handover, according to her, was to avoid duplication of projects and to do away with agents
Dr. Nuneih pledged the Commission’s committment to having credibility and called for collaboration between the Commission and States with a view to working directly with the rural communities.
On his part the member representing Bende Federal Constituency and Chairman House Committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu harpedon the need to clean up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and get things done the right way
He expressed confidence that with the presentation of the list of projects in the State, duplication of projects will be circumvented considering that the State was hindered by pausity of funds.
He also informed that the tour would bring about a proper needs assessment analysis of the people while assuring the Governor that the commission would live up to expectations.
Deputy Governor Ude Oko Chukwu, Secretary to Government, Barrister Chris Ezem, Members of the Abia State House of Assembly from Bende South and North, Honorable Commissioners, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr ACB Agbazuere, Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of the Deputy Governor, Commissioners and other Government functionaries were present at the visit.
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