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| Victor Ndoma-Egba |
From
inception till date, four governing boards and managements have been in place
and as at May 2016 when the acting Managing Director, Ibim Semenitari presented
the first quarter report for 2016 of the NNDC, she revealed what the state of
affairs and the challenges of the NNDC are.
According
to the acting MD who is expected to hand over the reign of office to the duly
constituted new board and management, NNDC awarded a total of 8,557 infrastructure
development projects valued at N2.4 trillion between 2001 and March 18, 2016.
The
report said that 3,454 projects worth N441 billion were completed out of the
total number of contracts awarded within the period. It said that the projects
were awarded in the areas of roads, bridges, jetty and shore protection,
canalization and reclamation, electricity and power, water and buildings, flood
control and equipping and furnishing.
“Of
the total number of infrastructure projects awarded, about 250 are regarded as
mega projects, that is projects with cost ranging from N500 million to N24
billion,” the report said. It
added, “There are 2,257 ongoing projects totaling N1.2 trillion in value, while
292 others worth N81 billion were either stalled or abandoned.
“During
the period under review, the commission terminated a total number of 49
projects valued at N1.9 billion. Other agencies of government took over 29
projects with a total contract sum of N16 billion from the NNDC.”
Semenitari
said the biggest challenge she had upon assumption of office “was the fact that
NNDC owed so many people.”
As
she puts it, the commission owed more than 8,000 contractors between N400
billion and N450 billion when she assumed office, but about 600 of them were
paid by her administration.
She
said that the paucity of funds coupled with the public perception of the
commission became sources of concern for the management of NNDC, but assured
that better days will come for the commission by the time its funding partners
pay up the amount they owe.She
noted that the commission spent N9.2 billion on execution of projects between
January and March, 2016.
She
said that with payment of the outstanding monies, the projects the commission
was handling would become visible. She regretted the fact that the late passage
of the budget of the commission had hampered proper planning and proper
management of the commission.
She
revealed further, “As at Jan. 1 2016, our balance of account was N9.9 billion.
And then within this period under review, that is January to March 2016, for
that first quarter, we received N6.8 billion from the Federal Government and
N32 billion from oil companies, so that total inflow as at March was about
N48.9 billion.
She
revealed the expenses made in the course of the period, saying: “The recurrent
payment including salary and allowances and other expenditure stood at N7
billion and payment for projects stood at N9.2 billion. So, the total of
expenditure within the period under review is N16.3 billion. And the cash balance
as at March 25, 2016 was N32.26 billion.”
The
interim period which Semenitari has held brief has provided a foundation for
the duly constituted governing board and the management to start off with more
ease than they ordinarily would.
The
huge challenge of stakeholders’ perception, insincerity of most contractors and
the double standards of some commission staff still need attention.
Politicians
have taken NNDC contracts and handed same over to aides or cronies that would
either abandon same or engage in a shabby execution. Most of the commission’s
contractors have also followed the same path of either abandoning the projects
or executing a substandard work.
Some
commission staff have collaborated often with the contractors to promote
project abandonment or shabby execution. Imagine a group agitating so furiously
to be given multi-million and billion contract for reclamation of an imaginary
area and they would just go with the funds on luxurious vacation and build
personal mansions within and outside the country with little or nothing on
ground in the region.
It
is the view of many that the former Senate Leader, Senator Ndoma-Egba, SAN
comes with a baggage of experience to the NNDC job.
His
appointment has been greeted with applause for the president over a choice well
made. He has been described as one who will make the region and the nation
proud in the discharge of his duties.
Similar
commendations have also been variously made over the appointment of Obong Nsima
Ekere who once served as the Deputy Governor, Akwa Ibom State and now
designated as the new Managing Director of NNDC.
Cross
River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade particularly commended the President on
Ndoma-Egba’s appointment, for having chosen one of the best Cross River State
can boast of.
In
his words, Ebri said; ‘The nomination of Ndoma-Egba is a step taken in the
right direction because of his wealth of experience in public and community
service. He has the requisite experience required to perform creditably. I
think we should be expecting a lot of development of infrastructure in the
entire nine states of the Niger Delta. His appointment is a clear example of
fixing a square peg in a square hole by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Ebri
described Ndoma-Egba as a nationalist whom he has confidence that under his
watch as chairman, every part of the region will witness tremendous
development.
Now
Senate has approved N241 billion as the 2016 Niger Delta Development Commission
(NNDC) budget and a breakdown of the budget shows that N18 billion is for
personnel cost, N10 billion for overhead, internal capital, N1 billion and
development project, N231 billion.
Many
have talked about the need to revive the well-thought-out NNDC master plan that
was long kept in the cooler by previous administrations. The change must be
seen in the NNDC so that perhaps at the end of the tenure, one can point at
NNDC model schools, NNDC skills acquisition centers, quality NNDC communities
link roads and bridges. With a batter leadership approach expected from
Ndoma-Egba as board chairman, and cooperation from Obong Nsima Ekere in the day-to-day
management needs, the best is expected and the best is possible.
Culled from INDEPENDENT Saturday October 22, 2016
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