From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has advised the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to do things differently.
Governor Wike maintained that such an approach should be the adoption of a regional development approach that would strictly commit to the holistic development of Niger Delta States.
He gave the charge when the new chairman of NDDC board, Lauretta Onochie led other members of the board, on a courtesy visit to him at Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday.
The governor urged the Onochie-led board to embrace the conceptualisation and implementation of projects like the construction of highways with bridges to link states.
He opined such projects will serve as economic corridors to ease interstate movements and promotion of socioeconomic integration within the region.
The Rivers State governor said when projects are awarded, they should not be given to portfolio or political contractors, but to competent ones who will stick to delivering quality and enduring projects.
He said: “There is what we call regional development projects that can link up two states. Those are the kind of things NDDC should go for and give it to competent contractors. Leave these political contractors. Leave all these portfolio contractors. Leave them alone. You have come to my state and you have seen what I have done.
“If I didn’t use Julius Berger and had used these political contractors, you won’t have seen anything here. Of course, you know how expensive Julius Berger is.”
The governor said it was shameful to see the unproductive model NDDC had operated, serving as mere cash cow to politicians and spending about N10 billion in a futile attempt to rig the 2019 elections in Rivers State. Governor Wike also demanded that should NDDC pay up its partnership and contractual obligation of N2.5 billion, which is half of the N5 billion mutually agreed between it and the Rivers State government for the reconstruction of the dualised Eastern By-pass Road leading to NDDC Headquarters.
In her address, the new Chairman of NDDC board, Onochie, said they visited to formally introduce themselves to him as the governor of their landlord state.
Onochie noted the remarkable quality of infrastructure delivered by the administration of Governor Wike that has transformed the entire landscape of Rivers State.
