Ezrel Tabiowo
Determined to ensure the completion of projects spread across the Niger Delta region, the Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw, has said that partnerships between the commission and private construction companies is an option that would guarantee the successful implementation of projects undertaken by the NDDC.
Against this backdrop, Henshaw said the commission “is presently exploring partnerships with companies willing to co-fund projects on road construction and power generation in the Niger Delta region in its bid to hasten the pace of development.”
He made the disclosure when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Niger Delta to defend the commission’s 2014 budget at the National Assembly complex yesterday.
The ability of the commission to complete projects in the Niger Delta region would drastically reduce the unemployment challenges faced by its people.
Addressing the committee, he said: “We have decided to lay an agenda for NDDC that will enable us implement flagship legacy projects within the sub-region.
“What this means is that we will tackle very important jobs and developmental projects in the areas of road, power, health sector and the environment.
“We recognise the difficulty that we confront with funding but we have been careful in trying to identify the sources of funding that will finance this year’s budget. In addition to that, we have also decided to focus more on partnerships, partnerships that will help us augment funding for the development of the sub-region.”
He said the commission had arrangement in the works for intervention partnerships in the health sector that would directly affect the health care delivery system and the efficiency within that system.
Managing Director of the NDDC, Mr. Bassey Dan-Abia, his presentation of the commission’s 2014 budget, said the budget estimate of the commission was based on a revenue projection of N322.6 billion, a figure which represents a 2.15 percent increase over the 2013 revenue.