Joy Ude
PDr Samuel Ogbuku,the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC)has assured that the Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit, coming up on July 10-13, will develop strategies for economic growth and development of the Niger Delta Region.
Ogbuku gave the assurance during an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt.
Ogbuku said that the summit would serve as a platform to articulate a roadmap for sustainable development of the region.
He remarked that stakeholders’ engagement was one of the cardinal points in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Ogbuku also said that the importance of stakeholders engagement was to ensure that projects and activities of government were well understood by the people.
He emphasised the need to give the people opportunities for conversations to discuss development plans to ensure that they cued into the renewed hope for sustainable development, support the programmes and activities of government.
Ogbuku stated that the plans for renewed hope had to be tailor towards the people participation.
“The democracy we are practicing today is a participatory democracy where you must bring the leadership and followers together for proper understanding of policies and programmes.
“Renewed hope means touching lives. This government is out to touch lives. Bringing the people under one roof in the Niger Delta is to let them know what the renewed hope for sustainable development is all about and how beneficial it is for the region.
Ogbuku noted that President Tinubu had charged the NDDC to complete and commission signature projects that would impact the lives of Niger Deltans.
Following this directive, he said, the Commission recently inaugurated five flagship projects, covering roads, bridges and electricity, across the region.
He listed the projects as follows: the 9km Obehie-Oke-Ikpe road in Ukwa West LGA, Abia State; the 25.7 kilometre Ogbia -Nembe Road in Bayelsa State; the 1×15MVA 33/11KV electricity injection substation in Amufi, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area in Benin City, Edo State.
He also mentioned the 45km double-circuit 33KV feeder line from Omotosho Power Station to Okitipupa, Ondo State and the NDDC 6km Iko-Atabrikang-Akata-Opulom-Ikot Inwang-Okoroutip-Iwochang Road and 600m Ibeno Bridge in Ibeno LGA, Akwa Ibom State.
Speaking on the 2024 budget of the commission, Ogbuku explained that the budget was done in collaboration with major stakeholders, insisting that when approved, it would help to complete many ongoing projects spread across different communities in the region.
