We're Enthroning Accountability, Transparency in NDDC - Chairman

By Lucky Isibor 

The Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC),  Lauretta Onochie has assured Civil Society Organisations CSOs and stakeholders in the Niger Delta that the commission under her watch is enthtoning a regime of accountability and transparency in its operations noting that there are now new approaches in doing things which will tame the incidences of abandoned projects and execute the ones that will positively impact on the citizenry of the region.

Some cluster members and NDDC chairman, Lauretta Onochie (4th right) at the meeting

The NDDC chairman who stated this at a one-day project mid-term review meeting of the Enhancing Anti-Corruption and Social Inclusive Reform Initiative in Nigeria, pointed out that the NDDC will work with state governors in the Niger Delta in project conception and execution so as to eliminate project duplication.

On the issue of NDDC abandoned projects dotting the nooks and cranny of the oil bearing states, Onochie assured that a committee has been set up to enumerate them with a view to executing those that will positively impact on the life of the people.

"I stand for accountability and transparency, I don't like things done at the backyard, I want everything to be open so that everyone can see what we are doing. Once everything is open and everyone see what we are doing we'll get the support of everyone and people will know where they stand, and so they'll believe us when we tell them the amount of resources available to us and there will be no argument about how much comes in and how much goes out. 

"Again, accountability and transparency have to do with who  you are because if you are fair there is no way you'll hide what you are doing, you will let everything be open. So, I can assure you that NDDC under my watch will walk the  path of accountability and transparency".

Welcoming participants to the mid-term review meeting, the Executive Director of the project anchor organisation, the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) Rev. David Ugolor noted that the Enhancing Anti-corruption and Social Inclusive Reform Initiatives in Nigeria is being implemented by ANEEJ and eight partners as part of the Strengthening Advocacy and Civic Engagement (SCALE) project which is a five-year project being implemented by Palladium and its resource partners with funds from the United States International Development Agency (USAID).

While enumerating the objectives of the project and the successes recorded thus far, Rev Ugolor said, "we consider this project an important one that seeks to promote and engage in anti-corruption policy reforms at both the national and sub-national levels with the ultimate goal of strengthening governance to deliver development goals to citizens, particularly in addressing poverty and inequality amongst our people. It is also aimed at contributing to the eradication of corruption in Nigeria. 

"The project is also designed to address reform issues within interventionist agencies set up to develop the Niger Delta region by both the federal government and state governments such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the oil and gas producing areas development commissions in Abia, Delta, Edo, Imo and Ondo. 

"We are happy to inform you that the project has achieved some level of result, as some of the anti-corruption bills the project worked on have been passed and signed into law by the president. The proceed of crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022 and the Money Laundrering Prevention and Prohibition Act 2022 are key legislations to support anti-corruption in Nigeria. We are also happy with the extension of the implementation of National Anti-corruption Strategy. Our cluster member, the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, Edo State chapter led advocacy to get Edo State government to pass the state version of the disability Act, which has now been signed into law by the Edo State governor. The project has equally done a comprehensive assessment of how Nigeria has implemented the commitments made during the global forum on asset recovery and the London anti-corruption summit, this is a useful resource material for both state and non-state actors, and even the international community."

While thanking Palladium and USAID for funding the project, Rev Ugolor noted that there are other anti-corruption bills that are yet to be passed, implementation of the passed laws and disclosed that engagements with the oil producing areas development commissions in the Niger Delta has not yielded the desired result. 

In her remarks, the SA to the president on Justice Reforms, International Asset Recovery and International Relations, Juliet Ibekaku-Nwangwu pointed out that civil society organisations have been integrated into asset recovery process of the federal government adding that this was done in keeping to the terms of the framework the government committed to during negotiations for asset recovery which resulted in the repatriation of the first tranche of three hundred and eleven million dollars among others.

The Deputy Chief of Party, SCALE project, Bose Eitokpah thanked the cluster members for their commitment towards the realisation of the objectives of the project. She also thanked the chairman of NDDC, Lauretta Onochie for gracing the occasion and urged ANEEJ to avail her copies of the study they carried out on the operations of NDDC and state oil areas development commissions in the Niger Delta.

The mid-term review meeting was attended by the project cluster members, representatives of oil and gas areas development commissions in the Niger Delta, CSOs and journalists.