Speaking at the onboarding exercise at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Commission’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said the formal engagement with the communities in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Imo and Rivers states was preparatory to the commencement of the second phase of Project HOPE in June.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said Project HOPE was born out of the Renewed hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, stating: “The programme is holistic because it is all-encompassing and sustainable.”
According to Ogbuku, the scheme was designed to develop an exhaustive digital repository comprising vital information about the youths of the Niger Delta region, including their qualifications, skills, interests, needs and current employment status.
He stated that the database would serve as a plank for data-driven planning, enabling the formulation of impactful policies and programmes targeted at the youths.
“The programme will help eliminate the past practice of youths benefitting in our programmes multiple times. But now, once you’ve been engaged, it will be recorded in our database,” he said.
Ogbuku said the NDDC had identified what should be done to fill the development gap in the Niger Delta region, stating: “We need to create a balance between infrastructure project and agricultural programmes that will help to guarantee food security in Nigeria’s oil-rich region.”
The NDDC boss commended the communities for partnering with the Commission by donating many hectres of land for the agricultural programme targeted at the youths of the region. He promised them maximum value for the land they donated, noting: “it will be mutually beneficial and rewarding.”
Earlier in his opening remarks, the NDDC Executive Director, Projects and the Chairman of Project HOPE Implementation Committee, Sir Victor Antai, said that Project HOPE was a signature project in the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC Director, Agriculture and Fisheries, Mrs. Winifred Madume, said that the project would benefit the people in diverse ways, as the programme would deploy mechanized farming in the rural communities.
On his part, the Consultant for the Project HOPE, Ambassador Blessing Fubara, thanked the communities and their traditional rulers for teaming up with the NDDC in the interest of the development of the Niger Delta region.
Also speaking, the Paramount Ruler of Ewoi community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Chief Andy Inengite applauded the NDDC for taking the initiative aimed at boosting farming in the rural communities, noting that the contributions of agriculture to national development could not be overstated.
