The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has promised to complete all ongoing projects and initiate new ones in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The NDDC Director of Community and Rural Development, Engr. Theophilus Allagoa, made the pledge on behalf of the Commission while addressing a delegation of Niger Delta groups from Bonny led by the Chairman of Concerned Citizens of Bonny, Mr. Victor Ibaningo, at his office in Port Harcourt.
A statement issued by Seledi Thompson-Wakama, NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, quoted him to have noted that all communities in the Niger Delta region would be treated fairly by the Commission.
Allagoa stated that under the current leadership of the NDDC, no community would be left behind in the scheme of things.
He explained that the Commission was engaging with relevant stakeholders to streamline projects meant for Bonny to avoid duplication of efforts.
He further maintained that the Bonny Ring Road and other projects were already receiving attention as discussions were in progress, urging the people to exercise some patience.
He assured them that Bonny Island deserved the attention of relevant stakeholders given its strategic location.
Earlier, the Chairman of Concerned Citizens of Bonny, Mr. Victor Ibaningo, who was accompanied by Emmanuel Bristol-Alagbarigha, former Secretary General of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Peter Kaladappa, Commander of the Ijaw Defense Council (IDC), and Precious Jumbo, Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Bonny Chapter, called the attention of the NDDC to the plight of the Bonny people.
He lamented that despite its considerable contributions to the nation’s economy, especially the NDDC, Bonny LGA lacked sufficient Federal Government development footprint, urging the Commission to review its disposition to the area.
He appealed to the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, to ensure that Bonny Local Government Area was not shortchanged in the Commission’s project distribution.