By ISAAC CHINEDUM
As
soon as President Muhammadu Buhari came to power last year, he had left no one
in doubt that major agencies of government will be re-energized to carry out
their core mandates. His interest in carrying out an integrated development
programme in the Niger Delta meant that he had more than a passing interest in
the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the intervention agency for the
region’s development. Not too long thereafter, he had sacked the board of the
NDDC while reports said the audit report on the Commission revealed a plethora
of sordid financial indiscretions and several abandoned projects.
Among
the mess the new boss, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari inherited at the agency last
December is an unwieldy tally of 8,000 contractors handling various projects in
the oil rich region and a list of abandoned projects worth over N1.5 trillion.
While taking a delegation of the US-based Centre for Strategic International
Studies on an inspection tour to the construction site of the Niger Delta
Specialist Mother and Child Hospital in Port Harcourt, Semenitari explained
that first level checks on the number of contractors the NDDC owed showed that
the commission was indebted to the tune of between N300bn and N400bn.
In
her priority task of repositioning the agency for service delivery, she however
insists that the NDDC would only pay contractors who were already on site or
are ready to return to site and show commitment towards completing contracts
for the projects awarded to them in stipulated time. “We owe about 8,000
contractors and who gets paid depends on who is willing to show commitment,”
Semenitari said. Also, in seeking global partnership, she puts her vision on a
global platform, stating that “the world cannot ignore the Gulf of Guinea and
if that is so, then no one can ignore Niger Delta. NDDC cannot do it alone; we
need the cooperation of all stakeholders to move the region forward”.
She
has reached out to development partners that would help in her dream of turning
around the fortunes of the people of the oil rich, environmentally degraded
region. “We are not looking for hand-outs, but we need partners to collaborate
with us for sustainable development of the Niger Delta region. We have rolled
up our sleeves and everybody is ready to work.”
Among her far-reaching decisions is that today, the
agency insists that contractors are not allowed to get away with poor quality
jobs as it insists on thorough inspection of projects before payments are made
to contractors. By insisting that only jobs verified and certified to be of good
quality will be paid, the agency and the people are poised to get better value
for money spent on projects and programmes.
Worried over the increasing cases of pipeline vandalism and insecurity in the Niger Delta region, she had already addressed a consultative meeting with the executives of Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities, TROMPCON, using the occasion to appeal for the support of the monarchs to redress the challenges. While alerting on the greater dangers of vandalism and its negative impact on the revenue accruing to the commission, she hopes that the rulers would help sensitize their subjects against oil theft, vandalism and acts that heighten insecurity in the region.
Among her first warning shots was the immediate redeployment of management staff of the Commission as part of ongoing efforts to improve service and project delivery. This reshuffle involved the movement of 21 officers to new responsibilities, covering Legal Services, Procurement, Project Monitoring and Supervision, Administration, Environmental Protection and Control as well as Education, Health and Social Services. Twelve officers retained their positions in what was described as part of a strategy to “re-professionalise the workforce” and to create a new generation of officers with sufficient skills, knowledge and motivation to coordinate the NDDC management systems.
It is still early days in the new administration’s repositioning schedule but there is no doubt that its superstructures are being revitalized and strengthened to ensure the agency returns to track in striving to achieve its mandate.
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