Niger Delta Summit: Strategy For Realising Renewed Hope Agenda, Says NDDC Boss  

Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), believes that the Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit, scheduled for July 10-13, 2024, will help to build synergy for the Niger Delta region’s long-term development.

During an interview with journalists at the NDDC’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, NDDC Managing Director Dr. Samuel Ogbuku emphasised the importance of involving stakeholders in developing economic growth and development strategies for the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer stated that stakeholder engagement is a key component of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He stated, “The importance of stakeholder engagement is to ensure that government projects and activities are well understood by the people to create room for synergy.”

“Mr. President cannot talk about the Renewed Hope Agenda and his plans for the people of the region without giving them opportunities to discuss the plans and provide input where necessary.
“The plans for renewed hope must be tailored. As a result, people must participate in the process. Furthermore, the democracy we practise today is a participatory democracy, which requires the leadership and followers to work together to properly understand policies and programmes.
“Renewing hope implies making a difference in people’s lives. This government seeks to make a difference in people’s lives. Bringing the people of the Niger Delta under one roof is intended to educate them on the renewed hope for sustainable development and its benefits to the region.
“The whole idea is to ensure that the people of the region key into the renewed hope for sustainable development, support government programmes and activities so that we as a region can benefit greatly from the government.”
Ogbuku stated that President Tinubu had directed the NDDC to complete and commission signature projects that would benefit Niger Deltans. Following this directive, he stated, the Commission recently inaugurated five flagship projects spanning the region, including roads, bridges, and electricity.
He listed the projects as follows: the 9km Obehie-Oke-Ikpe road in Ukwa West LGA, Abia State; the 25.7km Ogbia-Nembe Road in Bayelsa State; the 1×15MVA 33/11KV electricity injection substation in Amufi, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area in Benin City, Edo State; the 45km double-circuit 33KV feeder line from Omotosho Power Station to Okitipupa, Ondo State; and the NDDC 6km Iko-Atabrikang-Akata-O
The Chairman of the Niger Delta Chambers of Industry, Trade, Mines, and Agriculture, NDCCITMA, Chief Idaere Gogo Ogan, emphasised the need for a strategic conversation on the Niger Delta region’s roadmap at the upcoming Stakeholders Summit.
He stated: “The Niger Delta region’s economic size today is approximately 51 trillion naira. In terms of comparison, we are nearly 10 trillion naira larger than Lagos, Africa’s seventh-largest economy. It provides you with a picture and explains why a conversation is necessary.
“Having this type of conversation will assist us in developing a road map for economic development by highlighting the priority areas in which the government intends to invest for the socio-economic transformation of the Niger Delta region.”
“We must address youth unemployment and ways to expand our natural endowments and resources. How should we monetize our gas reserves? How do we transition from gas to electricity? Nigerian industrialization can take place in the Niger Delta because we have gas that can be converted into electricity.”
Ogan stated that discussions must take place because “development does not come from one man’s idea.” It must go through a series of plans and strategies. Of course, no matter how good your plan is, if you do not have a well-thought-out execution plan, you will never make progress.
He praised the NDDC for organising the Stakeholders Summit, which would allow stakeholders to comprehensively assess our strengths and agree on strategies to be implemented.
Ogan emphasised that “development should not be haphazard or based on the interests of one man. It should be comprehensive and holistic, with a strategic perspective. Any policy that is not evidence-based will fail to meet our people’s developmental needs. I am overjoyed and eager to participate in the upcoming discussions. Hopefully, we will develop a regional masterplan that will bring much-needed prosperity to our people.”