The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has charged Niger
\nDelta stakeholders to shun politics and give room for the Niger Delta
\nDevelopment Commission, NDDC, to work for the development of Nigeria’s
\noil-rich region.<\/p>\n
Senator Uzodinma made the appeal yesterday during a courtesy visit by
\nthe NDDC Interim Administrator, Mr Efiong Akwa, and his team of
\ndirectors at the Imo State Government House, Owerri.<\/p>\n
The governor lamented that over the years, politics had impeded the
\nspeed of work by the NDDC, advising Niger Deltans not to allow politics
\nand sentiments to slow down the work of NDDC.<\/p>\n
He declared: “The time for politics is over. This is a time for
\ngovernance.”<\/p>\n
Senator Uzodinma lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of
\nNiger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio for the appointment of
\nAkwa as NDDC Interim Administrator, pending the composition of a new
\nboard for the Commission.<\/p>\n
The governor noted that the NDDC, as an interventionist agency, was
\nmeant to fast-track development of the oil-producing region of the
\ncountry. He noted: “NDDC is not an ethnic or tribal organization,”
\nwarning those trying to portray it as such to stop forthwith.<\/p>\n
He regretted that some young people were being sponsored to protest
\nagainst the activities of the NDDC, urging them to stop and allow peace
\nto reign because development could only take place in an atmosphere of
\npeace.<\/p>\n
He observed: “Since it is the wisdom of Mr. President to put in place an
\nInterim Administration, we are bound to respect the position of the
\nPresident and support the Interim Administrator.”<\/p>\n
The governor said that Imo State was in dire need of NDDC’s intervention
\nin roads and in the educational sector, especially the tertiary
\ninstitutions. He asked the NDDC to furnish the hostel it built for the
\nstate university so that students could use the facility in comfort and
\nsafety, noting that it was particularly important now in view of the
\nCOVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the NDDC Chief Executive Officer told the governor that the
\nInterim Management was meeting with important stakeholders of the Niger
\nDelta region as directed by President Buhari, stating: “This is
\nimportant, because partnership is key to development.”<\/p>\n
According to Akwa, “Partnership is a key aspect in United Nations’
\nSustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It advocates for a shared vision,
\nshared responsibility, shared commitment, as well as shared budgeting
\nprocess and implementation of development initiatives<\/p>\n
“That was the spirit in fashioning a Master Plan for the Niger Delta,
\nthe vision of our shared allegiance to this great region. After so many
\nyears of neglect, it is important that, together, we do far more for our
\npeople. It is important that we do more for a region which has provided
\nthe bulk of Nigeria’s wealth, and accounted for our rise in the comity
\nof nations.”<\/p>\n
He commended the Imo State governor for embarking on many projects which
\nwere helping to open up areas with rich agricultural potential. “You are
\nhelping to boost the economy of these areas and helping to improve the
\nliving conditions of the people. We are here to learn from you,” he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The NDDC boss highlighted the importance of energising the Commission’s
\nPresidential Advisory Council, comprising the state governors in the
\nnine Niger Delta states, stating: “The past practice where the
\nCommission undertook projects and programmes in the states, without
\nfirst building a working coalition with the states governments, to
\nintegrate our plans, policies, projects and programmes into the state
\ngovernment’s overall master plan, will no longer hold.”<\/p>\n
Akwa said that the courtesy visit was both to acknowledge the governor’s
\nstrategic importance to Niger Delta development, as well as to seek ways
\nin which to forge a stronger alliance with the government and people of
\nImo State.<\/p>\n
He remarked: “We are determined to continue to make a difference in the
\nNiger Delta region in general, and in Imo State, in particular. We
\nremain committed to providing projects and programmes of enduring
\nquality. To build the Niger Delta is to build ourselves. To make it a
\nbetter place is to give our people a better place.”<\/p>\n
The Interim Administrator later handed over keys to four waste disposal
\ntrucks to the Akwa Ibom State Government to assist the government in its
\nefforts to improve the sanitary conditions of the cities in the state.<\/p>\n
The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has charged Niger Delta stakeholders to shun politics and give room for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to work for the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":78910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other-news"],"yoast_head":"\n