The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has restated the commitment of the Commission to continue to partner with the government of Cross River State in the area of infrastructure development within its rights as a member of the NDDC mandate state.
Ogbuku stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Governor of Cross Rivers State, Senator Bassey Otu, at Government House Calabar, noting that the NDDC is always open and willing to partner with the state government to the benefit of the people of the state, as it is their entitlement to also benefit, as one of the NDDC mandates states.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said the partnership engagement with some of the state governments within the NDDC mandate states and International Oil Companies (IOCs) has yielded tremendous results and expressed the hope that the Cross Rivers State government would benefit from such a partnership.
He said that through a subsisting partnership with NLNG, the Specialist Hospital in Ikom, Cross Rivers State, Bonny ring road, Kaa Ataba bridge and Borokiri Okrika road in Rivers State are nearing completion, noting that the 28-kilometre Nembe-Ogbia road stands out as one of the commission’s partnership engagements.
Ogbuku, who also used the opportunity to highlight the institutional reforms and the successes recorded by the Commission under his leadership, pointed out that the NDDC has transitioned from transaction to transformation, as things are looking better in the Commission.
The Cross River State Governor described the managing director’s visit as timely and crucial, noting the state government’s eagerness to strengthen its relationship with the NDDC as a major interventionist agency of the Federal government.
He said Cross River State was eager to grow but was limited by resources and was willing to partner with the NDDC to bring development to the people of the State.
The Governor, while expressing appreciation to the leadership of the NDDC for the assurance to continue to work with the state government, said the government has never had issues with the NDDC and that what happened in the past was a result of a communication gap.
Prince Otu drew the attention of the NDDC to the Commission’s key projects in the state, particularly the Adiabo-Iko-Neto road and the Ikom Specialist Hospital, and appealed to the Commission to expedite work on the projects.
The NDDC boss used the opportunity to extend a formal invitation to the governor and the people of Cross Rivers State to participate in the 25th anniversary of the NDDC, scheduled to be held between the 6th to 12th of July.
The grand finale, which is set for July 12th, will feature a keynote lecture by Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former President Goodluck Jonathan in attendance.
