The Minister of the Niger Delta Development, Abubakar Momoh, supervised the signing ceremony during a two-day NDDC board and management retreat in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State on Saturday.
This was contained in a statement signed by the NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Pius Ughakpoteni and made available to newsmen.
According to the statement, the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie; the Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku and the Executive Directors signed on behalf of the NDDC.
The minister mandated the NDDC to review and update the Niger Delta Regional Developmental Master Plan, noting that it was a crucial framework for guiding and implementing development initiatives in the region m, as there can be no sustainable development without plans.
Momoh challenged the NDDC board and Management to change the narrative around the commission, stating that Tinubu’s administration had established a template to measure performance of all agencies of government.
He said the performance bond signed by the NDDC board and management had deliverables that were associated with the eight presidential priorities of the Federal Government.
He also charged them to focus on completing ongoing projects across the nine states of the Niger Delta region.
A communique issued at the end of the retreat underlined the need for strategic communication of the value added by the NDDC to its stakeholders.
It stated that the retreat had set a strategic direction for the NDDC Governing Board and inspired the desire to consolidate Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda within the Niger Delta region.
“The frequent changes in the Governing Board of the Commission have largely accounted for the challenges in project execution and delivery in the development of the region.
“Thus, the Federal Government should ensure that the current Board completes its tenure and that there is continuity in succeeding Boards to ensure sustainability of the Commission’s projects.
“From the presentations, group discussions at the conference, it was agreed that there should be “proper synergy, collaboration and coordinating framework between the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, State Governments in the regions, the NDDC and development partners,” the communique read.
