Lucky Omas
10 August 2018, Sweetcrude, Warri, Delta State — The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has taken steps to eliminate abandoned project syndrome in the region.
Delta State Commissioner on the board of the commission, Dr. Ogaga Ifowodo said commission earmarked seventy percent of its budget for existing projects so they could be completed. While thirty percent would go for new projects.
He expressed the hope that the step would go along to redress the challenges of abandoned projects of the commission in the region.
He said the commission also canceled projects that were at zero level takeoff worth about two hundred billion Naira.
His words, ‘We have revoked, canceled projects worth two hundred billion Naira in the region. The board inherited projects that are so huge. NDDC has over ten thousand projects and that is unmanageable. What size of bureaucracy are you going to use to manage the project. The projects canceled are zero percent completion. What it simply means is that the projects had not taken off.
In order not to abandon projects you cut down the level of commitment. NDDC’s annual budget is about 250 billion naira. In terms of the actual execution of the project is not much. That whole budget cannot take care of the coastal railway or the East-West road. We make sure we pay contractors in mileage to make sure they don’t abandon projects. We also make sure we prioritize our projects.”