Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, says that the Commission will leverage technology to upgrade all its operations in the quest to transform the Niger Delta Region.

Ogbuku, who spoke during a three-day Capacity Building and Retreat for the staff of the NDDC Directorate of Finance and Supply in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, stressed the need to deploy technology as it continued to reposition the Commission for greater effectiveness and better service delivery.

The NDDC Chief Executive Officer also underscored the importance of strong internal mechanisms to check overbearing external influences in the Commission’s operations and processes, stating that it was necessary to ensure continuous fiscal transparency and accountability.

Ogbuku emphasized the centrality of finance and supply in the activities the NDDC, stating that the operations of the Directorate would be progressively automated to enhance effectiveness and improve public dealings with the Commission, including remote access to status of payments in order to promote transparency.

He advised the finance personnel against being careless with documentation in the discharge of their duties as accounting officers and auditors of the Commission, noting that proper documentation was critical in all transactions.

He said further: “This retreat should address major concerns facing the Commission, such as the huge debt burden facing us and come up with salient recommendations and key action points.”

Speaking earlier, the Director, Finance and Supply, Mrs. Kunemofa Asu, stated that training was crucial in upscaling the NDDC’s management processes to enhance efficiency and accountability in service delivery to the people of the Niger Delta Region.

She said that the annual retreat, which had the theme: “The Role of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in the attainment of the Renewed Hope Agenda: The Directorate of Finance and Supply as a Case Study,” was designed to chart a new path for the overall development of the Niger Delta Region.

Kunemofa Asu noted: “Training is an indispensable component of our professional growth and organisational success. It is an opportunity to strengthen our skills and learn new ones, helping to boost individual performance in the discharge of our duties as staff of the Finance and Supply Directorate of NDDC.”

Presenting a paper entitled: “The Niger Delta Development Commission, as an Interventionist Agency; The Journey So Far,” one of the resource persons, Mr. Uche Ejiofor, observed that the NDDC Act identified the oil companies as critical partners in the Commission’s financial sustainability. He, therefore, advised the Commission to review its strategies to maximise the contributions of the oil companies to its funding.

•PHOTO: L-R; NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, Director Finance and Supply, Mrs. Kunemofa Asu, former Director Finance & Supply, Mr. Peter Ebe and the Pioneer Director, Finance and Supply, Mr. Joel Avhurhi, during a retreat for the staff of the NDDC Directorate of Finance and Supply in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

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