The chairman Forum of Northern SSGs, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, has reiterated the need to put the North back on the track of progress and development, regretting that the region lagged behind in economic resources, education, among others.
He said this Friday in Kaduna at the launch of New Nigeria Development Company Limited (NNDC) Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.
Prof. Njodi, who is also the secretary to the Gombe state government, described the NNDC Code of Ethics and Business Conduct as “a right step at repositioning the company” being one of the legacies of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.
“Our region is characterised by security challenges, poverty, and industrial collapse. But we are endowed with vast uncultivated arable land, abundant unfound, unexploited mineral resources and a huge population.
“Today’s event reinforces the urgent need to put the North back on track. Our region lags behind in terms of economic resources, education and other social indices,” he said.
He pledged the commitment of all secretaries to the government of the 19 Northern states to support the NNDC Board in re-injecting vigour and vitality in the activities of the Company.
He urged the leadership, staff and stakeholders of NNDC to do more in redefining the investment drive of the Company through commitment to duty, adherence to ethical corporate practices and innovation in applying global best practices.
Governor Uba Sani, who was represented by the secretary to the Kaduna state government, Dr. Abdulkadir Muazu Meyere, unveiled the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct Booklets.
He restated Kaduna state’s timeless commitment to continuing to partner with the NNDC for the benefit of the region and the nation at large.
The chairman, Board of Directors of NNDC, Malam Tanimu Yakubu, in his remarks, said, “To further drive our successes, we introduced and used the NNDC Code of Ethics and Business Conduct as our guidebook for putting our values into practice.
“We set out a clear standard of conduct to ensure that we always make the right choices, providing the appropriate framework to safeguard the Company’s operations and sustainability. The Code was conceived on the premise of ensuring that we hold ourselves accountable and how we do business to a high standard.”
The NNDC Group Managing Director, Mal. Shehu Mai-Bornu, in his remarks, said, “The development of the new NNDC Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, captures the desire to update our business practices and ensure adherence to best practices of corporate governance.”
