By Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has inaugurated an 18-member committee to prepare its 2025 budget proposals, aiming to align its budget cycle with the national budget.
During the ceremony at the NDDC Headquarters in Port Harcourt, Managing Director Dr. Samuel Ogbuku emphasised that the committee’s goal is to secure approval for the 2025 budget before the end of the 2024 cycle.
He stated, “As we are about implementing the 2024 budget, we must begin preparation for the 2025 budget by holding consultations with our stakeholders.”
He recalled last year’s two-day Budget of Reconstruction Conference held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Ogbuku highlighted that the budget will focus on “funding achievable projects,” adding, “We cannot develop the region in one year. So, we will endeavour to have a smart budget that will focus on projects that we can finish, especially ongoing projects.”
He instructed the committee to study old projects and identify those that can be completed quickly.
He also announced plans to raise a trillion Naira for legacy projects, including the Okrika-Borokiri link road in Rivers State, stating this would occur once President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signs the 2024 budget passed by the National Assembly.
The committee will incorporate NDDC directors from the nine mandate states and a representative from the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS).
Ogbuku stressed, “Let us be seen as an NDDC that is working and not the one that is just awarding contracts without seeing to their completion.”
Mr. Davies Okarevu, the committee’s Coordinator and Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics, noted that state offices will be fully involved in the budget process, ensuring an all-inclusive approach.
He stated, “The committee will develop a budget guideline for the committee to consider and approve.”
The committee is chaired by the Managing Director, with Executive Director Alabo Boma Iyaye serving as the alternate chairman.