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Ex-President warns instability hampers critical projects in Niger Delta
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Says NDDC had 11 CEOs in 25 years, average tenure barely two years
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Commends Tinubu for retaining Ogbuku as a sign of commitment
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has blamed the chronic underperformance of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on incessant leadership changes, warning that such instability has crippled the Commission’s ability to deliver key developmental projects.
Jonathan spoke on Saturday during the 25th anniversary grand finale of the NDDC in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
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“Frequent changes in NDDC leadership have been a serious impediment to its development goals,” the former president declared, echoing concerns raised by the Commission’s pioneer chairman, Onyema Ugochukwu.
He revealed that in the last 25 years, the NDDC has had 11 Chief Executive Officers, each serving an average tenure of just over two years.
“In such a short period, how can any leader properly plan or execute meaningful, long-term projects? Without stability, development agencies resort to contractor-driven initiatives that lack strategic vision,” Jonathan lamented.
Jonathan, a former Bayelsa State governor, praised President Bola Tinubu for retaining Samuel Ogbuku as NDDC Managing Director, describing it as a “positive deviation” from past practices.
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“President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023. Had he not been interested in the development of the Niger Delta, he could have replaced Ogbuku, who had barely spent five months in office. Instead, he allowed him to continue, and today we are celebrating the result of that consistency,” he said.
The former president also cited insights shared by World Trade Organization Director-General, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during her keynote address at the event, noting that many abandoned projects were direct consequences of unstable leadership at the Commission.
