NDDC urges host communities to protect critical facilities

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has urged communities in the Niger Delta Region to protect and take ownership of critical infrastructure provided for them by the government to prevent vandalism.

The Executive Director of Corporate Services of the commission, Hon Ifedayo Abegunde, who delivered the keynote address during an awareness campaign and capacity building engagement for stakeholders in the Niger Delta region in Calabar on Friday, regretted that over 50 per cent of the infrastructure provided by the government for the people in the region over the years has either been vandalised or neglected by the beneficiary communities.

He said that for two decades, the NDDC has remained committed to its mandate of facilitating sustainable development in the region through projects that serve as long-term investments aimed at expanding opportunities, reducing poverty, stimulating local economies, and fostering peace and stability.

Abegunde stated that through the provision of essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges, schools, health facilities, water schemes, solar street lights, as well as youth empowerment and capacity-building initiatives, the commission has consistently sought to address the socio-economic and environmental challenges facing oil-producing communities.

He, however, regretted that the commission has observed instances where vandalism, theft, neglect, and insufficient community engagement have compromised valuable assets intended to improve collective well-being, adding that such setbacks not only delay progress but also diminish the returns on resources committed for the benefit of the people.

The executive director said it is in recognition of this that the commission convened the campaign to raise awareness, encourage a sense of shared responsibility, and foster a culture of ownership that ensures every completed project is protected, maintained, and optimised for present and future generations.

Abegunde therefore urged stakeholders to foster a culture where every installed infrastructure and each empowerment initiative are valued and safeguarded as a shared heritage.

The state director of NDDC, Daniel Ajunwa, said that over the years, the federal government, through the NDDC, has provided infrastructure to communities in the Niger Delta region to improve lives and alleviate the suffering of the people. However, he regretted that these efforts have been continually sabotaged by the very people they were meant to serve. He warned that henceforth, any community leader found to be involved in the vandalisation of such facilities or allowing vandals to steal them would not only be arrested but also lose any further intervention in their area.

He called for the establishment of vigilante groups within communities to safeguard and protect facilities for the benefit of the people.

The Lead Consultant of the programme, Mr. Francis Abayomi, stated that the capacity-building initiative for stakeholders across the Niger Delta region on community ownership and the protection of NDDC’s projects is designed to mobilise inclusive engagement to enhance the development efforts of the NDDC for the benefit of the community and its people.

While thanking the Managing Director of NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, and other management staff for making the stakeholders’ engagement possible, he expressed hope that the knowledge shared, as well as the interactive engagement provided through the initiative, will help promote awareness and raise consciousness regarding mutual responsibilities in the protection of projects and facilities of the NDDC.

The resource person, Dr Carol Ebuta, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his efforts in bridging the infrastructure gap in rural areas through the provision of facilities that have changed the narratives of the Niger Delta people.