The Minister of Niger Delta Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, has unveiled his agenda for the region, vowing to revolutionize the quality and standard of infrastructure for the benefit of the people.
Momoh stated this in Abuja during his inaugural press briefing, tagged ‘Special Development Agenda for the Niger Delta,’ insisting that the construction of standard infrastructure would be his watchword.
He described as unacceptable the level of abandoned and poorly executed projects dotted around the region, especially contracts handled by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He promised to revisit the report of the forensic audit of the contracts awarded by the commission.
He warned that contractors who managed various NDDC projects across the region – projects that were either abandoned or poorly executed – would have questions to answer.
According to the Minister, “When I said we want to construct standard projects, the implication of that is that we also have agencies in the Niger Delta, which I have already mentioned, like the NDDC, that are charged with the responsibility of constructing projects.”
“I said that under my watch, we will make sure that the projects they execute will meet the highest standards. Not projects that, when executed today, may deteriorate within one or two years.”
“That’s exactly what I meant. As for the projects we are going to execute between now and the next two years, I have not been properly briefed yet. However, you can see that I am here now. The ministry’s top management staff are here, and they will brief me on what they have accomplished so far.”
“One of the journalists also mentioned today that about 13,000 projects are abandoned in the Niger Delta area.”
“Right now, I am not aware of all the projects. Once I have thoroughly studied the situation, I will provide a statement on that.”
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“There has been a forensic audit conducted by the Federal Government. We will review that forensic audit to identify the projects that are functional and ongoing. Some contractors have abandoned their projects, and among those 13,000 projects, there are individuals who received funds but did not undertake any work.”
“So, we will examine all these matters to determine how to address them in due course.”
The Minister emphasized that poorly executed projects would no longer be tolerated in the region, and he condemned the deplorable state of roads in the area.
The Minister also expressed concern about the significant number of abandoned projects in the Niger Delta region and added, “We will investigate the failed and incomplete projects in the region.”
Momoh, however, reassured that thousands of unfinished and abandoned projects across the Niger Delta region would receive timely attention and be promptly completed.
He assured that the ministry would collaborate with the NDDC to conduct an audit of existing projects to determine which ones are viable for completion.
He emphasized that as a Development Ministry, the focus would be on constructing “high-quality” infrastructure that can withstand the test of time. He added, “If we intend to build infrastructure, it must be of the highest standard. The current state of NDDC projects is not commendable.”
Momoh expressed concern about the living conditions of Niger Deltans, especially those living along the coastlines. He also reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s assurance that all of the country’s refineries would be revitalized.
In his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the MNDD, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, acknowledged that the pace of work in the Niger Delta region had slowed down due to the absence of an overseeing Minister. He expressed optimism that work would kick off immediately with the arrival of the new Minister.
