Edo State Government said it is ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), for construction of Benin-Abraka Road.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, stated this during a courtesy visit by the NDDC board and management to the governor, at the Government House, in Benin, yesterday.
The visiting NDDC team included Chairman of the Governing Board, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, the Managing Director, Mr. Nsima Ekere, Executive Director, Projects, Mr. Samuel Adjogbe, and other directors of the commission.
Obaseki, whose acceptance followed an offer by Ndoma-Egba noted that the Benin-Abraka Road is a high priority project for the state. He said the road links Benin to the oil producing hub of the state. For this reason, he said the state would be ready to sign an MoU on the project within seven days.
The governor told the NDDC team that the state government had been waiting anxiously for a meeting to enable both parties exchange ideas on how to drive development projects in the state.
He said in spite of his initial misgivings, he had decided to look forward to better days in state’s collaboration with NDDC. “Since you have confessed your sins, we have forgiven you,” Obaseki said.
On his part, Ndoma-Egba told the governor that the commission is working with a new attitude of cooperation and collaboration. He pleaded that the NDDC should not be judged by its actions in the past.
“Don’t look at our past, look at our tomorrow. We have seen the light and we are now born again,” Ndoma-Egba said.
Ekere added: “We believe that our projects must be monitored, not only by us, but, by outsiders. We want to earn the confidence of our stakeholders. That is why we are auditing our systems to ensure that we are transparent. Before now, our processes were too opaque. But, we are opening the processes now.”

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