The Niger Delta Development Commission said that it has begun a process that would eliminate duplication and wastage, and put an end to the era of working at cross purposes with state governors in the region.
The managing director and Chief Executive Officer of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku revealed this in his address during the forum of the 2024 budget of reconstruction conference in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Speaking on the theme “Partners for Sustainable Development Forum-NDDC 2024”, Ogbuku said the stakeholders’ forum was aimed at providing a platform for achieving an effective budgeting system in line with the “Renewed Hope’’ project of the Federal Government.
“This conference is very vital. For one, it helps to revive the platform of the partners for sustainable development forum which was created as part of the regional master plan implementation guideline, to bring all service providers and project implementers to the same table to fashion a common pathway based on shared vision for the development of the Niger Delta region.
“For another, it affords all of us the incentive and opportunity to pool our resources together, initiate projects and programmes within the obligatory goal of building a better region and empowering our people.
“By so doing, we would, arising from the conference, galvanize our energies for a common purpose, eliminate duplications and institutional suspicions in the development process, reduce incidence of working at cross purposes as well as reduce wastage of scarce resources allocated for regional developmental initiatives by all stakeholders”, Ogbuku said.
In his keynote address the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Niger Delta Affaira, Shuaib Belgore, attributed the poor implementation strategy of the commission over the years on late submission of budgets.
Belgore who was represented by the director of Planning and Statistics of the ministry Mr Alfred Abba, urged the new management to evolve and adopt a budgetary process that would be in tandem with the stipulated provisions of the relevant Establishment Act.
