Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Chiedu Ebie, says the new leadership in the Commission will unveil the right vision and set the tone for the management to drive the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.

Ebie, who spoke during a facility tour of the NDDC headquarters complex in Port Harcourt, underlined the need for the new Board and Executive Management to take basic steps that would inform the roll out of new strategies to drive the development process in Nigeria’s oil-rich region.

Accompanying the Chairman on the facility tour were other members of the NDDC Board, including the Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, the Executive Director Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye; the Executive Director Projects, Sir Victor Antai and the Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde.

Ebie said that as part of the measures to reposition the NDDC, the Board in its inaugural meeting, had to first familiarise itself with the activities of the Commission. He remarked: “We received status report from the Managing Director and we looked at the kind of vision to set for the Commission. In subsequent meetings, we will get down to work and ensure that we set the right tone for the management to implement our policies.”

Ebie expressed satisfaction with the quality of facilities at the Commission’s headquarters, noting that the “office complex is a massive and elaborate property.” He observed, however, that “there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, especially in the ancillary building.”

He said it was important to ensure that a conducive working environment was created for the staff, assuring that efforts would be made to ensure that the contractors completed on-going work in the offices within the shortest possible time.

Briefing the Chairman during the facility tour, the NDDC Director, Human Resources and Administration, Mr. Patrick Ekade, said that the Commission was in the process of procuring fire trucks to fortify its fire service unit. When fully equipped, he said, the unit would not only serve the NDDC building, but would be able to respond to distress calls from the Commission’s host community and beyond.

At the security department, Ekade stressed the need to provide adequate security in the building complex to promptly address safety issues. He added: “For a massive building of this nature, we need to have sufficient security architecture to take care of the staff and visitors.”

The Board members also inspected the water treatment plant and the 100,000-capacity tank serving the office complex, as well as the infrastructure for electricity supply to the building. They visited several offices in the 13-floor main building and the 4-floor ancillary building, including the medical centre, banking hall and staff canteen.

The headquarters complex, which was commissioned on March 11, 2021, was initiated by the defunct Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC).

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