The Rivers State representative at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Tony Okocha insists that the internal wrangling at the Commission is part of the reasons the NDDC is still struggling to deliver enviable services, as Flood Victims received relief items from NDDC
Jude Nzennaya Port Harcourt
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has distributed relief materials to thousands of displaced victims of flood in eight Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The materials which includes blanket, wheelbarrows, mattresses, fishing net, vegetables oil and other edibles, were handed over to the council chairman in Port Harcourt recently. The benefiting LGAs which includes Abua/Odual, Asari-Tolru, Ahoda West, Ahoda East, Gokana, Tai, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni and Andoni received three fully loaded trucks of 47 different items each.
Handing over the relief materials to the beneficiaries, the Niger Delta Development Commission Rivers State Representative, Chief Tony Okocha plead not to play politics with the distribution of the materials.
Okocha added that the intervention was part of President Bola Tinubu’s effort to positively impacts to lives of Nigerians irrespectives of political leaning.
“Today I stand on behalf of the chairman of the board of Niger Delta Development Commission, I stand on behalf of the Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, who is in charge of the day to day running of the affairs NDDC, we are saying to you it is our resolve that Rivers State and Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) would have a new leaf as we seat and superintendent over your affairs in the Commission,
“Today is one of those demonstrations of President responsiveness to the people of Nigeria, particularly President is to empathise through Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with our people who suffered devastation raising from environmental factors we call it flood victims,
“Today, the President through Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) had assembled these materials that would benefit and be of use those of our brothers who suffered devastation for what they didn’t know about, we are all aware that flood issues are environmental issues.
“We have assembled materials relative to what is happening incidental to their problems and ancillary to solutions and those are around are around edibles, food items and for people who has been displaced and they don’t have anywhere to sleep, we have mattresses, foams and various other items in trucks for people.
Okocha continued, said, “I want to advise, I don’t want to use the word warn, when we saw the list of the contact persons from this eight Local Government Areas that would be benefiting today. I pleaded with the management to allow me expand the spectrum, the reason why I did so is because I want these items to get to the end users and that is the reason why I pleaded with my people and they agreed and I called my brothers and sisters and friends who the Superintendents of the local government areas that would benefit from this, so that they would also have an idea of what is happening and also help us in ensuring that this items actually gets those they should go to.
“These are not items to play politics with, we are not expecting any kind of sentiment or bias in the distribution of these items. The items should go to those affected”.
Further Okocha stated that the current Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board had vowed to correct the wrong perceptions of Commission by working in unison to actualize the purpose for which it was created 23 years ago.
He noted that internal Wranglings had been part of the reasons the Commission in the past abandoned most of the iniated project across the nine (9) States the Commission covers.
“As a board, I have decided that we are going to change the hitherto negative narrative that is akin to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) before now. These negative trajectories pointed to the fact Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was merely a cash cow, some said Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is a lame dog, not able to chun or produce the essence for which it was created.
