By Ebi Kesiena
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has stressed the need for continuity in the leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to ensure that development projects are completed and not abandoned.
Jonathan, who spoke at the plenary of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NDDC at the Dr Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, decried the frequent changes in the leadership of the NDDC.
In a statement on Monday signed by NDDC’s Director Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, he noted that: “The frequent changes of the leadership of the NDDC have been a problem for the development. When we listened to the keynote address, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala observed that the Commission abandoned numerous projects.
“They were not abandoned because the managers of the NDDC wanted to do so, but the frequent changes made it that way. When planning is impossible or time is limited, agencies resort to contractor-driven projects instead of those based on planning.
“From what the chairman said, over these 25 years, we have had 11 CEOs of the NDDC. That means that the CEO on average is two years, three months. So, two years, three months, how can you plan? How can you finish projects that are significant to the region?”
The former Bayelsa State Governor commended President Bola Tinubu for retaining Samuel Ogbuku as the Managing Director of the NDDC, a move he said showed that the President was interested in developing the region.
Jonathan said further: “We are here celebrating because he (Ogbuku) has stayed a little more than two years. Former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him in 2022, I think November or so, but he resumed duty on January 4, 2023.
“Tinubu came on board in May 2023. If Tinubu were not interested in developing this region, he would have removed him and given the appointment to another person. He would have been just five months in office. Nobody would have heard about Ogbuku.
“We hear about Oyema Ugochukwu and Timi Alaibe because they stayed for a reasonable time, and within that period, they were able to put things on the ground that people remember.”
Jonathan, however, urged the agency not to relent but to deepen its commitments to performance-driven and inclusive governance, one that prioritises long-term impacts over short-term, politically motivated projects.
He added, “We must continually emphasise that the future of the Niger Delta does not rest solely on oil and gas. It lies in agriculture, education, digital innovation, tourism, and renewable energy. True sustainability requires preparing our region for a post-oil economy, the transition that must begin now.”
Speaking in a similar vein, the pioneer chairman of the NDDC, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu, advised the Federal Government to allow the current board of the NDDC to serve out its four-year tenure.
He declared: “The current Board and Management are doing a good job and I have said that so many times that I have no reservations about commending them. A lot went wrong in the NDDC two years ago, particularly during the caretaker committee and sole administrators, when irregularities were typical. Now they are doing very well to raise hope again.
“When you don’t have sustained leadership for a period, it affects any organisation. Comparing the Asian Tigers to Nigeria reveals a key difference: the duration of leadership. In NDDC, some people are removed after only two years. It doesn’t provide the necessary impetus to drive the development process correctly.”
