Projects completion: NDDC taking cue from President Buhari – Efiong Akwa

Gideon Ekere

The Interim Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Efiong Okon Akwa has said that the commission is taking a cue from President Muhammadu Buhari in rapidly completing ongoing projects in the Niger Delta region in the last year.

Speaking at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, where he was honoured by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, at the Institute’s 2022 annual dinner and awards, Dr Akwa noted that NDDC is taking after President Buhari in meeting with the expectations of the Niger Deltans.

He said: “The templates adopted by NDDC in delivering its core mandates are driven by the passion of President Buhari. He is a committed leader who has a strong interest in the welfare of Nigerians and the overall progress of Nigeria; he is the reason for the completion of abandoned projects and many other projects in the region.”

The NDDC chief added: “NDDC is working on the directive of President Buhari, under the supervision of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, in excellent delivery of projects, excellent execution of ideas, excellent planning, and excellent management of resources. You can see how projects that were abandoned for many years are being completed without delay.

“NDDC is also taking a cue from the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. You can see what the Honourable Minister has done in the ministry within his short stay. Even as the governor of Akwa Ibom State you can attest to the fact that his signature projects are still speaking volumes today. That’s the spirit he has imbibed in NDDC, which is the reason you are seeing many positive changes in the commission today.”

Akwa, who received the ICAN merit award in the member’s category, stated that though he has received many awards in the past, “I can assure you that this one is very dear to my heart. It means that the little we’ve been doing in NDDC is being noticed. What that means is that after now, we are going to increase the frequency of project delivery for the benefit of the people in the region.”

Earlier, in her remarks, the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Mrs Comfort Olu Eyitayo, announced the opening of a new technology delivery hub at its Ebute-metta office, saying that a new network of relationships with existing tech hubs both within proximity of Yaba and environs as well as similar centres across the nation will help ICAN-BoI hub to build its presence in the innovation and inventions tech community.

While congratulating the award recipients, Mrs Eyitayo said that those selected for the awards “are people who have distinguished themselves in their fields of endeavours.”

Other awardees at the event include Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Industry, Mr Olukayode Pitan; Managing Partner/CEO, PKF Professional Services, Chief Tajudeen Akande; Chief Executive Officer of NorthWest Petroleum & Gas Co. Ltd, Dame Winifred Akpani and the Past President of ICAN, Alhaji Razak Jalyeola.