NDDC Poised to Address Marginalization of Bonny, Engaging with Stakeholders on Project Siting

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has indicated its readiness to address perceived marginalization of Bonny Local Government Area in the ecosystem of its project and programmes delivery.

Community Relations Manager of NDDC, Theophilus Allagoa gave this indication recently when he received a delegation of Niger Delta groups from Bonny led by the Chairman of Concerned Citizens of Bonny, Victor Ibaningo in his office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Allagoa stated that under the current leadership of the NDDC, no community will be left behind in the scheme of things, explaining that the Commission is currently engaging with relevant stakeholders to streamline projects meant for Bonny to avoid duplication of efforts.

He further reiterated that the Bonny Ring Road and other projects were already receiving attention as discussions around them were ongoing, urging the people of Bonny to exercise some patience, assuring that given the strategic place of Bonny Island, it deserves the attention of relevant stakeholders.

Earlier, the Chairman of Concerned Citizens of Bonny, Victor Ibaningo, who was accompanied by a former Secretary General, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Emmanuel Bristol-Alagbarigha, Commander, Ijaw Defense Council (IDC), Peter Kaladappa, and Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Bonny Chapter, Precious Jumbo, called the attention of the NDDC to the plight of Bonny people.

He highlighted the fact that despite its huge contributions to the nation’s economy, especially, the NDDC, Bonny LGA was bereft of developmental footprint of the Commission and the Federal Government, urging the Commission to review its disposition to Bonny LGA.  

He called on the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku to ensure a paradigm shift in the way Bonny LGA has been treated since the inception of the NDDC.  

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a special purpose vehicle established by a former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, in the year 2000, with the sole mandate of developing the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria, has yet to make a developmental footprint in Bonny Island.