By Charles Okogene
A breathe of fresh air is now blowing across the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) following the appointment of Ms. Lauretta Onochie as the chairman of the commission.
Onochie
The intervention agency for the development of Nigeria Delta region and the entire oil producing states that lays the golden egg with, which more than half of the infrastructures in Nigeria are funded, is turning a new leaf; turning from being in the news as a corruption infested commission, to a transparent one.
NDDC, which from the day it rose from the ashes of Oil Mineral Area Development Commission (OMPMADEC) in the days of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the president of Nigeria, has never cared how the projects it undertakes in its area of jurisdiction impacts on the lives of the residents of the area is now beginning to ask the people of the area, which of the following amenities and empowerment(s) are more dear to them for the commission to focus on; a great departure from the era in, which it just embark on just any project whether it is what the people need at that moment or not.
NDDC MD
To achieve this, it has through its Public Relations department created a Twitter handle calling on the people of the area to choose from its array of development projects, which it should handle first. The projects include but not limited to the followings ” electricity/ roads/ Bridges, trainings/ empowerment/jobs, agriculture/fisheries and small/mediumbiz etc.
As expected, there were varied responses but in the midst of the ‘babble of voices ‘trainings/ empowerment/jobs, followed by electricity/ roads/ Bridges, stood out like a sour thumb from the responses from readers.
NDDC begins poll on development priorities for Niger Delta
The avalanche of positive response trainings/ empowerment/jobs, electricity/ roads/ Bridges, got was not surprising to this writer who was a witness to the huge crowd that witnessed the launching of a skill acquisition/empowerment programme by an NGO, Optimistic Outlook, in Bane, Rivers State, the country home of Ken Saro-Wiwa, last August.
Majority of the youngsters that thronged the Saro-Wiwa tomb venue of the launch had opted for training insisting that it is akin to buying them hook instead of giving them fish.
Cross section of Ogoni/Bane youths at the launch
Faces at Optimistic Outlook Empowerment Initiative training
The fresh initiative is about to see NDDC move away from its all knowing position of embarking on any project, whether it is number one in the scale of preference of the rural oil producing folks or not. Wether it will impact positively in their socio/economic lives, is giving way to the slogan, ‘give the people what they want ” and not what a handful of decision makers at the commission thinks they want.
Onochie: NDDC to address needs of youths and communities in ND
Onochie and the Managing Director , Dr Sam Ogbuku, are walking their talk; they are doing what they said they will do and if they continues in that direction, Niger Delta whose development has been arrested by past management of the commission who sees their appointment into the board as an opportunity to have a slice of the national cake, will be a thing of the past soon.
The renewed hope, which was the electioneering mantra of the in-coming government is gradually taking root.
