Chairman of the Governing Board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba, says steps were being taken to change the negative perception of the commission by the public.
Ndoma-Egbe said this in an interview, on Tuesday, in Abuja.
He regretted that the public image of the commission was not encouraging, adding that It would no longer be business as usual.
According to him, members of the commission are being accused of collecting kick backs from contractors of the commission before paying them for contracts executed.
Hear him, “The story in the public is that the commission collects 10 to 15 per cent from contractors to get their payments for jobs executed.
“This is absolutely wrong, if it is true, getting such payments from contractors would have become an industry by itself.
“There is no reason why contractors who have met conditions for payment should not be paid without any gratification.
“We are coming on board at a very challenging time.’’
According to him, we must rebrand the commission and change the public perception of it as a slush fund, and this we must do through our honest work and single minded focus and discipline.
Ndoma-Egba also pledged to reposition the board to enable it play its role effectively in the administration of the commission.
He explained that the NDDC under his leadership would no longer serve as a place where things would be done without adhering strictly to set rules and order.
“The bane of the commission seems to stem from the mentality of the leadership that once they are appointed, it is their turn to rip off the agency.
“But the new Board and Management of the commission have understood where we are coming from and what the people expect from us and we have decided to depart from the ugly route of the past,’’ he said
To this end, Ndoma-Egba said that on assumption of office, the management immediately swung into action by taking measures to put their house in order and change the way things were being done in the commission.
He said this was done to show their seriousness and desire to stick to accountability and to ensure the much needed development.
The chairman said the management assembled key members of staff and development partners for a retreat in February.
This, he noted was part of efforts by the commission to reposition it for effective service delivery.
“The three-day retreat, with the theme; “Collaboration for Sustainable Development”, held in Onne, Rivers State, and was attended by members of the Governing Board, directors, and strategic stakeholders from within and outside the region.
“The retreat made it clear that the new Board and Management are solely dedicated to integrity, efficiency, transparency and accountability,” he stated.
Speaking on abandoned projects in the region, Ndoma-Egba blamed the budget process for being “largely responsible for the spate of abandoned projects in the region.’’
“The approach to projects has been ad hoc, arbitrary and self-serving, with very little end-user content. Many projects appear strange to beneficiary communities.
“The projects are imposed on them and it creates crisis of ownership.
“It will be apt to expect that with the combination of the chairman and the managing director in the saddle, a new era of rapid physical development driven by accountability will for once dominate the affairs of the commission.
“Indeed, those who have taken time to look into the books of the commission are quick to point out that the amount of money received by the intervention agency since its establishment in 2000.
“It is not commensurate with the quantity and quality of projects in the nine oil producing states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Imo, Delta, Edo, Ondo and Rivers.(NAN)