The Rivers Representative at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Tony Okocha, has decried the abandonment of over 953 projects of the Commission in Rivers State, blaming the sad development on the inconsistency of governments on the appointment of Board members of the commission.
Okocha stated this during an interactive session with the state’s traditional rulers at their Council Secretariat in Port Harcourt.
Okocha who is also the State Caretaker Committee Chairman of All Progressives Congress, (APC), said before now, that board members of NDDC were usually dissolved within three months, a situation, he described as unhealthy for achieving the objectives of the Commission.
Okocha explained that new boards do not like carrying past projects but prefer to Initiate new projects because they want to make names.
He said, “Inconsistency of government in the appointment of board members has been a major challenge in driving the objectives of NDDC, When board members are dissolved, the new members who come would want to award their own projects because they want to also make names.”
Okocha stressed that as a development theorist, physical infrastructure and human capital developments are complementary and vital for the development of any society.
He promised to supervise projects that will directly impact the lives of the citizens, noting that the essence of NDDC was to boost human capital development
While disclosing that priority attention would be paid to medical service delivery, he said, the commission would continue to pursue the vision of President Bola Tinubu towards boosting human capital development
The NDDC rep assured to work towards changing the history of unfair sharing formula in the Commission, stating that the state that produces and consumes more should be made to get better shares.
According to Okocha, “I will protect and defend the rights of Rivers citizens, I don’t see why the goose that lay the golden eggs will not participate in the eating of the eggs, we will work on the history of injustice and unfair sharing formula to ensure that the right thing is done.”
The monarch applauded Okocha for the meeting, describing it as a welcome development which will enthrone growth and development.
