NDDC
By Desmond Ejibas
Port Harcourt – Indigenous Contractors in the Niger Delta has called on President Bola Tinubu to reappoint the Dr Samuel Ogbuku-led management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The contractors said that removing the Ogbuku-led management team would derail the current achievements and transformations recorded since the team took over NDDC in December.
Chief Dressman Darlinton-Gbolobofa, the National President, Niger Delta Indigenous Contractors Association (NDICA) and Mr Sylvester Tonye, President, Contractors Association of NDDC (CAN), spoke at a joint news conference in Port Harcourt.
Darlington-Gbolobofa said contractors were satisfied with the performance of Ogbuku-led management team; especially in the manner they have transparently handled contractual payments to contractors.
“So, as stakeholders interested in the advancement of the socio-economic development of the Niger Delta, we are satisfied with the proven integrity and administrative competence of the current NDDC team.
“We are glad to note that the rancour, distrust and animosity that characterised the relationship between NDDC and its vendors/contractors have become a thing of the past.
“For instance, gone are the days when hapless local contractors were forced to embark on disruptive protests over non-payment of jobs executed for the commission.
“Currently, the non-payment of contractors after executing sundry jobs for the commission has been laid to rest as contractors are now sure of their payments in reasonable time,” he said.
Darlington-Gbolobofa said the management team had since commenced the payment of ‘small ticket’ jobs that constitute about 60 per cent of the commission’s debt owed to contractors.
According to him, the actionable steps and people-centred administrative style of the NDDC management team correlates with the transformation agenda of President Tinubu.
“We are also privy to the various efforts put in place by the commission to sensitise youths of the region on the dangers of pipeline vandalism and oil theft.
“As indigenous operators and partners in progress, we are genuinely interested in the success of NDDC and the development of the region.
“We hereby pass a vote of confidence on the Ogbuku-led management team and urge President Tinubu, for the sake of continuity and stability, to consider and confirm them for reappointment,” he pleaded.
On his part, Tonye called on all the International Oil and Gas Processing Companies operating in the Niger Delta to pay funds owed the NDDC to ensure its smooth operations.
He pleaded with the Federal Government to fund the budget of the commission, to enable the interventionist agency to effectively carry out its mandate of developing the region. (NAN)
