The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS,
has indicated willingness to support the development efforts of the Niger
Delta Development Commission, NDDC. This followed a visit of a delegation
from the international organization to the NDDC headquarters in Port
Harcourt yesterday (Friday).
Speaking for the US group, Ms. Jennifer Cooke, the director of the CSIS
Africa Programme, said that the international community was well disposed
to investing to facilitate the growth of the Niger Delta, adding that
getting it right was very important for the region and the West Africa at
large. “There have been so many plans for the development of the Niger
Delta and so many efforts to get it right. If you get it right, there are
so many people who are willing to invest in your success,” she said.
Cooke noted that the Niger Delta had enormous potentials that needed to be
developed for the benefit of the people living in the region. She assured
the NDDC of assistance in getting the attention of Nigerian watchers and
policy makers in Washington.
According to her, “the NDDC has a big opportunity to inspire people in
terms of implementing the existing plans for the region. It is important
that people are inspired on new ways of doing things. If you don’t want
people to get fatigued, you have to inspire them to do things
differently.”
The acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, told the
visiting CSIS delegation that the commission needed the support of all
stakeholders to succeed in the task of developing the Niger Delta region.
She stressed the need for local and international organizations to pull
resources together to ensure that there was development in the Niger
Delta, noting that the world could not afford to ignore the region.
She said: “If you don’t get the Niger Delta right, every one suffers.
There is a lot of wealth in the belly of the Niger Delta and it is way
beyond oil and gas. We need the assistance of CSIS to take our story to
the rest of the world. However, we are not looking for handouts. We don’t
need that. What we need are partners who will work with us to bring growth
to the region in ways that are sustainable.”
The NDDC boss later took the CSIS delegation to inspect the on-going
construction of the Niger Delta Regional Mother and Child Hospital in Port
Harcourt, which had suffered some delays on account of poor funding.
Briefing the NDDC and CSIS team on the project, Arch Peter Dateme, the
prime consultant, said that the 233-bed hospital would be completed in 12
months if funds were made available to the contractor.
It could be recalled that the NDDC Managing Director recently inspected
the Niger Delta Regional Specialist Hospital (orthopaedic and
cardiovascular) also being built in Port Harcourt.