The management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) said the permanent headquarters of the commission in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, would be ready by next year.
NDDC Managing Director, Obong Nsima Ekere, stated this Friday during an official inspection of the complex by directors of the commission.
To ensure that the project is completed by next year for inauguration, Ekere disclosed that the commission would set up a task force which will be headed by the executive director, projects.
The Managing Director, who was a former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State also disclosed that he would like to have the privilege of inviting President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the new corporate head office.
He said, “it is sad that a project that started 20 years ago is yet to be completed and we are still talking about site inspection. A child that was born when this building started is almost through with university education by now.
“So it is very sad that we are inspecting a project 20 years after its commencement. We will look at what the issues are, including contractors capacity to deliver on this project”.
The Managing Director who restated the commitment of his administration to complete the project on time, stressed that he would not condone non-performance by contractors.
He regretted that the completion rate of the commission’s projects all over the Niger Delta region was not encouraging.
Ekere said international funding partners, stakeholders and everybody in the region are worried about the high rate of abandoned projects in the region.
The new permanent head office is a 12-storey building sited in Port Harcourt.
