Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Governor Adams Oshiomhole (right), Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw (middle), Board Chairman, NDDC and Mr Bassey Dan-Abia MD/CEO NDDC
The Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, has disclosed that activities of the Commission over the years have been hampered due to the non remittance of over N800 billion funds legally due it by the federal government.
Ewe-Henshaw made the disclosure on Monday in Benin when he led other members of the Board, including the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NDDC, Mr Bassey Dan-Abia on a courtesy visit to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state.
The NDDC Board chairman who appealed to the Governor to intervene on behalf of the Commission to get the funds due to the Board released, said the money was what was due the Commission according to law and has been unremitted since 2001.
“Vision of the Board is one that can provide a platform and the avenue for integrating and developing the Niger Delta sub-region through strategic intervention and key infrastructure development in road, rail and education,” Ewa-Henshaw said..
The NDDC Board Chairman lamented that the Commission could not create business investment and employment opportunities for the people of the region due to its poor funding, adding, “We are not unaware of the negative perception of our people, but as a Board we have come determined to change that.”
Responding, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who said events of the past few years have shown that the friends of the Niger Delta are not necessarily from the region, assured the NDDC Board members that the Niger Delta region will benefit immensely from the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “I am aware that the Board has initiated a number of projects and according to you, you have over a thousand of them …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
