COViD 19: OJOUGBOH'S AIDE, ENGR. UMOREN DONATES PALLIATIVES WORTH MILIONS TO ESSIEN UDIM LGA

THANKS_AKPABIO_OJOUGBOH_FOR_REBRANDING_NDDC

As part of his Assistance to cushions the effect of hunger on the Poeple of Niger Delta as a result of COViD_19 pandemic that have been ravaging the Country, the Special Assistant to the Executive Director of Projects NDDC on Technical, Engr usenobong Umoren, at the weekend distributed palliatives worth millions of naira including cash donation  to the eleven wards of Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. 

The distribution was targeted at the widows, less privileged and poorest of the poor as top beneficiaries. 

Speaking during the presentation, Engr. Umoren expressed gratitude to God for giving him the grace to reach out to his people especially at this critical period of the pandemic ravaging the country. 

He thanked Sen (Dr) Godswill Akpabio for giving him the platform to grow because of his (Akpabio) humane and kind heart which tilts to Empowering the people at all times.

Engr. Umoren also praised the efforts of his boss, the Executive Director Projects, NDDC, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh for his unrelenting efforts towards the goals and objectives of the Interim Management Committee (IMC).

While admonishing the Minister’s strides in the ministry of Niger Delta affairs and the greater works he has started in NDDC in repositioning the region to witness major infrastructural revolution, basic amenities and complete human capital development, Engr. Umoren further urged the people of Essien udim LGA to always support Sen. Akpabio to deliver in his areas of assignment entrusted him by President muhammadu Buhari.

Umoren charged the elders, women and youth to be steadfast in their support to their son Sen Godswill Akpabio for continuous development and Empowerment; He also thanked his mother, family members, friends and relatives for leaving their busy schedules to give him morale support to make the event a reality. 

Earlier, the Chapter Chairman of APC expressed satisfaction on the development and opined that the future is bright when young people remember the local government, community and wards when little opportunities is given to them. 

He lauded Engr. Usenobong Umoren for the show of love for his people in this trying moment where the world is ravaged by the covid 19 pandemic. 

However, Hon. Raphael Udoma who anchored the event, praised the giver and charged him not to change towards showing love and kindness to his people at all times and expressed satisfaction that youth are showing glimpses of a brighter future by using little platform to Empower their people as he took charge of the distribution of palliatives to the 11ward representatives and individual beneficiaries. 

Present at the event includes; Elder Friday Michael (APC Chapter Chairman), Mr Godwin Affangide, Envoy Nsentip Akpabio, Hon. Raphael Udoma,Hon. Uwem Bernard, Hon. Okokon and ward chairmen, ward leaders, women leaders as well as the youths.

PONDEI LAMENTS NON-PASSAGE OF NDDC 2020 BUDGET

Niger Delta people have been accused of frustrating the passage of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) 2020 budget and hindering the development of the region.

NDDC Acting Managing Director, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, who made the allegation, charged communities in the Niger Delta region to assist in monitoring the execution of development projects in their localities.

Pondei spoke while addressing Isoko traditional rulers and leaders of thought under the auspices of the Isoko Development Union Worldwide at the new NDDC Headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

He lamented that the Commission had been bogged down by distractions by those who did not mean well for the region.

“As at today, we don’t have an approved budget to work with and unfortunately, we are being frustrated by our own people. If we don’t have an approved budget to work with, it is the Niger Delta that will suffer. If the Interim Management Committee, (IMC) is being told not to start any project and not to pay contractors that have worked for us, you can imagine the negative effect it would have on the lives of our people,” he said.

Pondei noted that for Niger Delta region to move forward, the NDDC should be executing big-ticket projects that would impact positively on the people and pay less attention to small projects.

“We should be intervening in big regional projects. A situation where many projects are put in the budget and we end up not completing a good number of them is not good for us,” he said.

Pondei commended the Isoko leaders for helping in monitoring the performance of NDDC contractors in their area.

He assured them that the Commission would “from time to time be publishing the payments to contractors so that communities can assist in verifying them to march the money spent with the project on ground.”

The President General of Isoko Development Union Worldwide, High Chief Iduh Amadhe, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering the ongoing forensic audit of the NDDC even as he commended the transparency and accountability exhibited by the IMC of the Commission.

NDDC CHARGES COMMUNITIES TO ASSIST IN PROJECT MONITORING

1. The NDDC Acting Managing Director, Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei, (left) speaking during a courtesy visit by Isoko traditional rulers and leaders of thought at the new NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt. Second left is the NDDC Acting Executive Director Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, while the President General of Isoko Development Union Worldwide, High Chief Iduh Amadhe is on the right.

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has charged communities in the Niger Delta region to assist the Commission in monitoring the execution of development projects in their localities.

Making the call during a courtesy visit by Isoko TRADITIONAL RULERS and LEADERS of thought under the auspices of the ISOKO DEVELOPMENT UNION OK Worldwide at the new NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei, said that communities should be upfront in holding contractors to account.

He declared: “The communities should not sit back. They should monitor the projects in their areas because that is the only way to check dubious contractors who abandon projects.”

Pondei commended the Isoko leaders for helping in monitoring the performance of NDDC contractors in their area. He assured them that the Commission would “from time to time be publishing the payments to contractors, so that communities can assist in verifying them to march the money spent with the project on ground.”

The NDDC Chief Executive Officer thanked the Isoko leaders for coming to interface and support the Commission, lamenting: “We have been bogged down by distractions by those who don’t mean well for the Niger Delta region. As at today, we don’t have an approved budget to work with and unfortunately, we are being frustrated by our own people. If we don’t have an approved budget to work with, it is the Niger Delta that will suffer.

“If the Interim Management Committee, IMC, is being told not to start any project and not to pay contractors that have worked for us, you can imagine the negative effect it would have on the lives of our people.”

Pondei noted that for NDDC to move forward, it should be executing big-ticket projects that would impact positively on the people and pay less attention to small projects. “We should be intervening in big regional projects. A situation where many projects are put in the budget and we end up not completing a good number of them is not good for us,” he said.

In his own remarks, the NDDC Acting Executive Director of Projects, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, thanked the Isoko people for identifying with the truth and showing solidarity with the IMC, adding: “We are glad that Niger Delta stakeholders appreciate the new system in NDDC, where transparency and accountability are the watchword as exemplified by the publishing of payments to contractors.

“We are happy that Nigerians are impressed by that action. But even as we are doing this, the persons who want to forcefully take over NDDC and truncate what we are doing are busy spreading falsehood. Nevertheless, we are very proud of what we have achieved so far and that is why we can publish them for everyone to see.”

On the new NDDC headquarters, he said that when the IMC assumed duties, it was mandated by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to work round the clock to deliver the project and move into the building. The work is 95 per cent complete, and in the next four weeks the building will be ready for commissioning by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ojougboh said: “I thank you for appreciating Mr President because his support for the region is enormous. He has demonstrated his love for the region by ensuring the clean-up of Ogoni land and supporting the NDDC and its supervising ministry to ensure that detractors do not succeed in stalling the development of the Niger Delta.”

The President General of Isoko Development Union Worldwide, High Chief Iduh Amadhe, thanked President Buhari for ordering the forensic audit currently going on in NDDC and commended the transparency and accountability exhibited by the Commission’s IMC.

He said: “Your publication on June 29, 2020 of the list of contractors that have been paid is praise worthy. That has not happened in the history of NDDC. We thank you for that. Again, we are aware of the forensic exercise that is going on. That is another display of transparency and accountability for which Niger Deltans are happy.”

He lauded the IMC for moving into the permanent headquarters, a feat he observed, previous managements could not achieve. “Many groups have come to lead the NDDC. This is the first time the Commission will publish the names of contractors paid and the amount,” Amadhe said.

Amadhe appealed to the NDDC to ensure the completion of the Uzere-Umeh-Patani Road which had been on-going for many years.

He noted that Isoko was the second place crude oil was discovered in commercial quantity in 1958 at Uzere, immediately after Oloibiri, stating: “Oil from Isoko contributes about 19 per cent of the total output of the production quota from Delta State.The Isoko ethnic nation has eight oil fields, yet the wealth generated from Isoko land is being used to develop other parts of the country at our own expense and peril.

NO MISSING N40BN IN NDDC AS COMMISSION PUBLISH DETAILS OF TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN FEB - MAY 2020

In a rare display of transparency unseen in the history of Nigeria, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has published the list of all payments made by it between February 20 and May 5 this year.

The publication which was in response to allegations that N40 billion was missing from its accounts, detailed the beneficiaries of the payments, projects paid for and the date and time.

The Commission, rather affirmed that the sum of N35.3 billion was disbursed to vendors and contractors between February and May 2020.

The Senate had launched a probe into alleged missing N40 billion under the leadership of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), an action that immediately pitted the Commission and its supervising Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs against the Senate resulting in series of allegations and counter-allegations from all sides.

But in a statement published earlier today, the NDDC disclosed that the move to pay the sums became necessary in order to alleviate the suffering of the vendors which, it argued, had a ripple effect on the Niger Delta region.

It further explained the action was in line with recent mandate handed to the Commission by Mr. President to change it former ways and act responsibly.

The statement, which was issued by Mr. Charles Odili, the Director, Corporate Affairs, read as follows; “In a rare display of transparency, the NDDC presents details of the N35.3 billion paid to vendors and contractors between February 20 and May 5, 2020.

“The management of the Niger Delta Development Commission has been inundated by enquiries from stakeholders following allegations that the expanded Interim Management Committee (IMC) misappropriated N40 billion between February 20 2020 and May 5 2020.

“Although, most of our stakeholders are aware of the malevolent intentions of those making these allegations, we believe that we owe them a duty of transparency to present the true financial picture of payments by the Commission during the period.

“We are therefore taking the unusual steps of publishing all payments made by the Commission between February 20, when the expanded IMC came into office and May 5 when the allegations were made.

“The list covers the beneficiaries of the payments, the projects which they executed and for which the Commission had a contractual obligation to pay, the amount paid and the date and time of payments. The IMC has only paid out N35.3 billion to vendors and contractors within the period. The debts paid covered historical debts to vendors, some of whom had been owed between N1 million and N3 million for up to eight years.”

The statement further added that “the payments were intended to save lives and livelihood as well as alleviate the suffering in the region. Most of the vendors borrowed monies from banks to render services to the Commission. Some became very ill in hospitals.

“The mandate handed down to this IMC by Mr President through the Honorable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs is that the Commission must change from the ways of the past. Acting responsibly in  honouring obligations is part of the changed ethos, ” the statement said.