In a bid to build strategic partnerships with the women and youths of Nigeria’s oil-rich region, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has pledged to initiate projects and programmes to develop the capacity of women and youths in the Niger Delta region.
Managing Director of the commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, who spoke during an interactive meeting with Women Leaders of Ethnic Nationalities and key stakeholders in the Niger Delta region at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, recently, disclosed to the women leaders that the commission would reach out to them as critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta region as part of the Commission’s programme to engage with all stakeholders in the formulation of the Commission’s overall strategies for the development of the region.
Ogbuku noted that they may not understand the direction that the Niger Deltans want to go until they give all their leaders, political, traditional, youths, women and others, in the Niger Delta that platform and opportunity to discuss what our future should be; revealing that the commission will soon hold a Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit and the women must be a part of it as they provide the platform for all their stakeholders to contribute ideas for the development of the Niger Delta region.
Furthermore, NDDC Boss observed that after the recent Partners for Sustainable Development Forum NDDC 2024 Budget of Reconstruction Conference in Uyo, the women leaders felt neglected and left out in the Commission’s activities, he hinted that the non-participation of women groups in the summit was not deliberate; stating that henceforth, such oversight will be avoided as the Stakeholders Summit will leverage on the 2023 Budget. Once it is signed, they should be able to agree on the areas of priorities based on their current realities.
According to him, “We have met with the youths and this yielded good ideas such as the Holistic Opportunity Projects of Engagement, HOPE. We will meet with the women as well. We will sit with the women groups to articulate their needs and the things that will bring all-round development.
“We have entered an agreement with KPMG to clean up our internal processes and encourage our partners. Just last week, we met with the development agencies of France and Germany to facilitate training and create jobs for our youths and women, especially in the area of farming.
“The women form the core of our development programmes. We have met and spoken with the youths. We are planning to meet with the women”.
However, Ogbuku noted that funding had been a challenge for the Commission and this made it imperative to think out of the box to provide solutions. He tasked Niger Deltans to desist from casting aspersions on NDDC, as such action belittles the Commission and the Niger Delta region in the eyes of the international community, thus reducing the chances of building fruitful collaborations with them.
Speaking earlier, prominent Niger Delta women leader and activist, Lady Ankio-Briggs commended the leadership of the NDDC for seeking alternative sources of funding for the Commission’s projects through its PPP programme, noting that the NDDC’s initiative will help to correct the inconsistencies in the Niger Delta region caused by underdevelopment.
Briggs expressed sadness seeing that NDDC was owed huge sums, running into trillions of naira, which was slowing down the pace of development, adding that the commission cannot function effectively in the face of debts.
Moreso, the NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Major-General Charles Airhiavbere, (Rtd), announced that NDDC acknowledges that women are the backbone of any given society; assuring that the journey of development in Niger Delta would be much easier on the back of women.
