Minister Urges NDDC, Regional Development Commissions to Harmonise Master Plan

Minister Urges NDDC, Regional Development Commissions to Harmonise Master Plan

The Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, has urged the Regional Development Commissions to emulate the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in producing master plans to be harmonised into a regional development compass.

Momoh, who gave the charge during the NDDC 2026 Partners for Sustainable Development (PSD) Conference at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said that each development commission was expected to derive its master plan and operational agenda from it, in line with the Ministry’s mandate to coordinate regional development.

The Minister said the Federal Government was working to harmonise regional development initiatives across Nigeria through a new policy framework to promote coordinated and inclusive growth nationwide.

Momoh praised the NDDC Board and Management for convening the partnership and sustainable development conference, describing it as timely and necessary. The Minister observed that no single institution could manage the Niger Delta region’s complex challenges alone.

He emphasised that the region’s progress depended not only on what each stakeholder does, but on how they plan, invest, and act together, adding that President Bola Tinubu’s government remained committed to programmes that expand opportunities, strengthen livelihoods, protect vulnerable communities, and provide lasting prosperity.

He urged stakeholders to use the conference to interrogate practices, challenge what is not working, and forge stronger bonds of collaboration.

The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, stressed the need for the governors of the nine oil-producing states to partner with NDDC for sustainable development in the region.

Uzodinma, represented by his deputy, Mrs Chinyere Ekomaru, said the Imo State Government would continue to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to bring hope to the people of the state and the Niger Delta region.

The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stressed the importance of engaging stakeholders to develop strategies for economic growth and development in the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku said stakeholder engagement was one of the cardinal points of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. He declared: “The importance of stakeholders’ engagement is to ensure that projects and activities of government are well understood by the people to create room for synergy.

The NDDC Managing Director declared that the 1.2-kilometre Kaa-Ataba Bridge linking the Khana Local Government Area to the Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State will be named after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said it is crucial to build trust with all partners to secure their buy-in and confidence. In this respect, we have established processes to ensure that a new institutional culture, anchored in sound ethics and good corporate governance, is in place.

He pointed out that the NDDC had a duty to harness resources from stakeholders, saying: “We have gathered at this conference to hear from the stakeholders to interact with them and rub minds because we realise that we cannot be planning programmes for the region without involving them at the foundational level.

KPMG, a reputable global business consultancy, has reviewed our processes to strengthen our corporate governance system. We now have a robust Corporate Governance structure that fosters accountability and transparency, backed by a clear and measurable set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track progress toward goals.”

The NDDC boss said the emphasis on collaboration aligns with the policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which prioritises carrying stakeholders along in the development process, and that President Tinubu was interested in seeing legacy projects in the Niger Delta.

He remarked: “Through engagement, the NDDC aims to foster partnerships to leverage collective strengths, overcome challenges, and avoid working at cross-purposes.”

The Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, said the Commission adopted a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and the Governance Advisory Policies, as approved by the Commission’s Governing Board.

He stated that the SOP and Governance Advisory Policies “shall constitute the Commission’s Rule Book and strictly guide all processes and operations within the Commission.”

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, said the Senate Committee would continue to strengthen oversight to ensure transparency, efficiency, and timely delivery of projects across the Niger Delta region.

Seledi Thompson-Wakama
Director, Corporate Affairs
September 23, 2026