THIS DAY

The Niger Delta Development Commission has for some time now come under serious criticisms over alleged financial impropriety, poor performance and derailing from its mandate. Worried by this development, stakeholders recently held a workshop/retreat on how to reposition the interventionist agency, Okon Bassey reports

External and internal stakeholders of the nine Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) catchment states namely Edo, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Abia, Imo and Ondo including government representatives recently met in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital to fashion a way on how to ensure the NDDC lives up to its mandate.

The three-day retreat held between April 15 to 17, 2021 at the Ibom Icon Hotel & Golf Resort and Watbridge Hotel and Suites all in Uyo was tagged “NDDC Strategic Capacity Building Workshop/Retreat”, and had as its theme: “Collaborating, Planning and Re-strategising for a better Niger Delta Region.”

Papers presented by eminent personalities included, “Establishing a culture of integrity, ethics and organisational citizenship behaviour in the workplace and how to resolve the dilemma of political patronage culture”; “Effective budget presentation to the National Assembly”; “Driving Corporate Government for maximum productivity”; “Effective collaboration between the Executive and Legislature for smooth running of Government Organisations”, and “Planning for sustainable and relevant NDDC against the backdrop of the petroleum industrial Bill (PIB)”; and the repeal and re-enactment of the NDDC Acts,” among others.

NDDC was established in 2001 about 20 years now under the NDDC Act of 2000 for the development of its catchment states. It appears since NDDC came on board as an interventionist agency to resolve the developmental problems of the region, the opposite had been the case, as the people rather continue to seek solutions on how to make the commission perform its responsibilities as enshrined in the Act establishing it.

A capacity building workshop with critical stakeholders drawn from the National Assembly, the state governments of the region, the oil companies, the traditional rulers, civil society organisations, the youth and NDDC management preceded the retreat proper.

In the soul-searching gathering, various speakers opened up their minds on the positive and negative aspects of the commission’s activities in the past 20 years.

The Minster, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio described the retreat as a “family meeting” called to realistically rub minds, and to find ways to help the commission fulfill its vision.

“Twenty years of the establishment of NDDC, I believe our discussion ought to have been on the successes achieved, and how we can strengthen it achieve more for the Niger Delta and our people.

“Sadly, we are still interrogating the commission’s setback and lost opportunities” he said; adding that in 65 years of discovering oil, the region is still looking for a better strategy to usher in the kind of development that sustains the people’s livelihood and fulfills our shared dream of a better Niger Delta Region.

He said, this time, there should be a stronger commitment to restore collaboration among stakeholders, in fashioning a common roadmap to development noting that top managers of the commission would agree on the strategies required to ensure collaboration and effective implementation of the commission’s mandate.

“In fashioning this roadmap, in establishing the protocols for effective and efficient strategies for sustainable development, we must be bold on many fronts, to tackle factors which had continued to negate important work of implementing development strategies and policies”.

Akpabio identified some of the drawbacks of the commission to include corruption, governance, lack of proper consultation and engagement with communities and state governments, transparency and accountabilities in performance, organisational behaviour and implementation issues, non- existence of monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes captured in the budget among other challenges.

“And if we must find answers to these venerable questions, then we must positively change the fortunes of our people. If we must facilitate a region which addresses our people’s longstanding, yearning for a society that fulfills their expectations and provides for their needs, then we who are gathered here today must offer a strong, unvarnished response, one which will help trigger the kind of development we all seek and work for, ”Akpabio declared.

The Minister of state, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Omotayo Alasoadura in a remark tagged “NDDC shall not walk alone” said the gathering manifests a collective resolve to turn things around for the long-suffering Niger Delta region, positing that the retreat, was the second of two clear manifestations of an emerging new NDDC.

He recalled the month of March 2021, the new headquarters complex of the NDDC in Port Harcourt was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari, “Today, we are here to rub minds with a vast array of stakeholders on collaboration and re-strategising for a better Niger Delta region.”

“These two events, coming back-to-back, hold enormous promise for the Niger Delta people and all who have stakes in the development of the region. These two events have the potential to boost the service delivery capabilities of the NDDC. These two events will go a long way in helping NDDC shed the undesirable toga and appellations that have been its unfortunate lot in the past.

“Above all, this retreat provides an opportunity for us to co-create a new trajectory for the NDDC and the Niger Delta region in these increasingly challenging times of dwindling resources amidst heightening expectations of our people.”

“I am aware that many stakeholders of the NDDC have not been satisfied with its performance over the years. You have been accused of not carrying them along”, he said commending the interim administrator and management for embarking on a journey of reawakening and renewal.

In his remark tagged “NDDC, born again to collaborate” the interim administrator of the NDDC, Mr. Efiong Okon Akwa, beckoned on stakeholders to come, reason and work together to create common way forward for the benefit of the people.

“We are here today to work towards creation of commonalities among stakeholders for speedy, development of our beloved Niger Delta Region.”

Remarking, the Chairman Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, said there was need for all stakeholders to work together to ensure that the Niger Delta moves forward.

He commended the NDDC interim administrator for realising the need for cooperation between the National Assembly and the commission saying, “In the past we had assisted the NDDC, to get the oil and gas companies to meet their statutory obligations to the commission. We amended the law and today the NLNG is paying their dues to NDDC. We must always work towards cooperation and discussion for the good of every one.”

In a similar vein, the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta, Hon. OlubunmiTunji-Ojo, said the cordial relationship with the NDDC had facilitated some progress in amending the NDDC Act.

He gave credit to the interim administrator for the progress, describing him as one of the best choices this government had made. “I am very proud of you and the National Assembly is proud of what you are doing. We will give you all the support you need,” he assured.

He added his voice to the call to review the Niger Delta Master Plan, adding that the NDDC should also think of generating income for the Commission. “We need to harness all available funds to get NDDC projects done”.

Tunji-Ojo remarked that one of the best things that had happened to the NDDC was the setting up of the forensic audit, which he said would help to clean up the Niger Delta.

A resource person from the National Assembly, Mr Gideon Jock, said the budgeting process in Nigeria was a monumental task laden with challenges but noted that with all hands on deck, “the process will, be more of a technocratic rather than a political process”.

Traditional rulers from the region applauded the commission, for building the capacity of stakeholders and engaging them in the budgetary processes aimed at developing Nigeria’s oil-rich region.

The National President of the Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria, TROMPCON, and the paramount ruler of Ibeno, Owong Effiong Archianga, stressed the need to carry stakeholders along in budget preparation and monitoring.

“Since in budgeting, funding is very critical, I call on this august assembly to take a critical look on section 14, 2a of the NDDC Act of 2000 as amended,” he said. The section, he said, stressed that the federal government would contribute the equivalent of 15 per cent of the total monthly statutory allocations due to the member states of the commission from the federation account.

The TROMPCON President said the provision was ambiguous and should be reviewed to enable the federal government contribute directly to the NDDC.

Archianga posited that NDDC project monitoring committee should include traditional rulers because most of the projects were done in their various domains. “In fact, they should be consulted when projects are to be executed in their areas,” he said.

The royal father said in future, NDDC budgets “should focus on youth employment and not just empowerment, so as to create a better future for the teaming young graduates in the region”.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the Abia State Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Joseph Nwabeke, harped on the need for NDDC to continually engage stakeholders at the local level to be able to get their buy-in and ensure that they participated in monitoring the commission’s projects in their areas.

In his remarks, the National President of the Host Communities Organisation in Nigeria (HOSTCOM), Dr Benjamin Tamiararebi, commended the NDDC for organising the stakeholders’ engagement, stating that it was fundamental to have such discussions.

He said such meetings were long overdue; noting that, oil-producing communities deserved a special attention from interventionist agencies such as NDDC, to ensure the sustainable development of the long neglected region, stating: “Our people deserve to be consulted in all development programmes designed for the oil-producing communities”.

In his paper titled “Establishing a culture of integrity, ethics and organisational citizenship behaviour in workplace and how to resolve the dilemma of political patronage”, Col Wilson Ijide (Rtd) of the Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan observed that the inability of NDDC to facilitate rapid, even and sustainable development of the region to its desire end and state was associated with the human factor element of organisational performance.

“Human factor akin to organizational culture of impunity is deemed responsible for the present state of affairs at NDDC, therefore requires a strong culture that places integrity, ethics and organisational citizenship behaviour.”

On the much talked about forensic audit of the NDDC, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio strongly disabused the minds of stakeholders that the forensic audit was a ploy to continue with NDDC interim administration.

He revealed that July ending, 2021 has been set as deadline for the conclusion of the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari; asserting that the audit was part of the internal reform of NDDC, he said already 16 fields auditors have been assembled to commence physical verification of projects across the Niger Delta region.

Akpabio explained that the physical verification is a serious exercise because the results of the exercise might lead to the prosecution of the contractors who abandoned their contracts without completing them.

“It is the considered position of President Muhammadu Buhari that for us to have a properly constituted board for the NDDC, we should first take a look at what has happened to the commission since inception. There was nothing our detractors have not done to stop the forensic audit and this has led some people to be left wondering if the forensic audit has been aborted.

“The president is resolute that he cannot leave the Niger Delta and the NDDC the way he met it. As a demonstration of this commitment, he is funding the forensic audit from the budget of the president”, Akpabio said to the audience.

On his part, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Babayo Ardo maintained that the take-off of the physical verification phase of the audit marked a milestone in the effort to reposition NDDC for effective service delivery.

He said: “The audit of the headquarters has been completed, we are now starting the second phase of the exercise, and we will go round all the nine states to inspect the over 12,000 projects that have been identified by the NDDC.”

Speaking on the forensic audit, the interim administrator of the NDDC, Mr. Akwa stressed that the exercise was a serious and deliberate act which made it necessary for the physical inspection of project sites in the mines of the Niger Delta.

According to him, wherever the over 12,000 projects are located, the committee had been mandated to visit them as security team had been put in place to escort the committee members and ensure their security.

For the lead auditor, Mr. Joshua Basiru, the forensic audit set-up in 2019 is as a result of alleged huge gap noted between resources invested and the infrastructural, human and economic development recorded by the commission.

“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this forensic audit exercise is successfully executed, in a bid to reposition the commission in terms of effectively delivering on its mandate, as well as improving transparency and accountability in NDDC.”

“We must not allow this project to be scuttled by those who have benefited in the past, or those who are currently benefitting unjustly from the current loopholes in the commission’s policies and operating procedures as well as the profligacy exhibited by the previous management teams to the detriment of the vast majority of the Niger Delta people, and therefore do not like to see change coming to NDDC.”

The workshop/retreat addressed major concerns facing the commission and came up with salient recommendations and key action points, whose implementation to improve efficiency in, and repositioning of NDDC. This presents a potential and far-reaching opportunity for a brand new chapter in the delivery of the NDDC mandate to rapidly improve the quality of life of the people of the Niger Delta Region.

A communiqué issued at the end of the workshop/retreat tasked the commission to improve its communications strategy and implementation, as well as its interface with the National Assembly, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, state governors and other stakeholders, through regular statutory meetings, town hall meetings and other forms of communications, particularly concerning projects and programmes.

It was also resolved that the commission’s annual budget should be appraised holistically, to ensure continuous fiscal transparency and accountability;

“That the commission should create a culture of budget realism, by eliminating moribund items, ensuring clarity, harmonisation, stakeholder participation, effective monitoring and evaluation, and post-implementation audits;

“That the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan shall be reviewed and updated, with clear goals and roles for all stakeholders set out, as the under-girding framework and compass for future budget preparations;

“That the commission should automate and upgrade all its operations and ensure advanced leveraging on the automation of its Project Monitoring & Supervision (PMS) Directorate.

“That the mode of selection of Executive Management of the commission should be reviewed, with a view to giving greater emphasis to competence and professionalism, and less on political considerations;

“That the roles of the Executive Directors of the commission should be properly spelt out in the enabling Act, and that the requisite qualification for executive positions should also be clearly stated in the Act;

“That the commission should be included in the list of Statutory Protected Boards in the Constitution. This will reduce the high Board and Management turnover, as well as the frequent policy changes, with their attendant costs and inefficiencies;

“That there should be a halt on foreign scholarships, with greater focus on local scholarships, which have the potential of reaching a wider spectrum of beneficiaries, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and its travel restrictions;

“That the commission should support tertiary institutions in the region to improve their capacities to impart the necessary knowledge and competencies;

“That the commission should review its projects in order to streamline them, by ensuring effective funding and completion of critical projects, and terminating contracts that bear no relevance to the Master Plan.

“That projects handled by the commission in the past that have direct positive impact on the poor of the region, such as free medical outreaches, should be revisited and reactivated;

“That while there should be less emphasis on undertaking new projects, owing to budgetary constraints in relation to outstanding obligations and the ongoing forensic audit, the commission, being the foremost interventionist agency of the region, should continue to intervene to cut the infrastructural deficits in the region, and in other areas of urgent need, such as was done at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” among other resolutions as contained in the communiqué.