By Chancel Bomadi Sunday
Stakeholders have urged the Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to sit up in the performance of their duties, stressing the new board was performing at a low ebb.
This was revealed during Vanguard’s fact-finding interviews with a cross-section of stakeholders in the region, this week, on the performance of the new board, which was inaugurated in January 2023.
The interviewees, randomly picked from the region, including within the commission, however, applauded the new board in its inception in the area of clearing backlogs of outstanding payments and sanity in the running of the system.
They noted that expectations were rife upon the change of the managerial style of the NDDC by the Managing Director, Dr Ogbuku, whose determination and vigour were visibly seen when he mounted the office in his first months.
Mr Justin Ebiowei, who spoke from Bayelsa State on his concerns, said: “Actually, the board gave us hope in their first months. They cleared the backlog of arrears and outstanding payments across the region and that gave me hope of a better performance in the future.
“But, now we’re not seeing that initial gesture, we do not see any tangible performance since after then and that is surprising to me. My clarion call on the board is that they should sit up and meet the expectations of the people, which is to bring infrastructural development to our doorsteps”.
A source in the commission, who spoke from Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, and who pleaded anonymity, said: “I was impressed by the initial performance of the Samuel Ogbuku-led management, especially their disposition to sanitize the system and keep it moving smoothly.
“They paid up arrears and outstanding payments across the board and had a good working plan for the region. But, after that initial display, it seems nothing is happening as if the NDDC is redundant.
“Our expectations from this board are high and it is my call or advice to them to make sure the expected infrastructural development is made manifest during their stay in office”.
In his contributions, Chief Ebisco Willy, who spoke from Warri, Delta State, said: “Yes, we expect that by now the board must have hit the ground running, having spent months on the seat. But, I am yet to see any sign of NDDC’s performance in the region.
“When they came on board, the Dr Ogbuku-led management made some stunning moves. The board cleared backlogs of outstanding payments and there was jubilation and I applaud that move as well.
“But, since after then, I have heard nothing, I have not seen any sign of initiatives, plans, programmes or moves by this new board as regards their assigned duties. I urged them to sit up as they are performing below expectations, in fact, they’re performing at a very low ebb”.
The post New NDDC board performing below expectation — N-Delta stakeholders appeared first on Vanguard News.