Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has admonished the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to eschew patronage and quid pro quo status quo that have plague the commission in the area of contracts awarding.
Governor Wike gave the admonition when the new Chairman of the NDDC board, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, led other members of the board on a courtesy visit to him at Government House, Port Harcourt on Friday, according to a statement by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Kelvin Ebiri.
Wike advised the board to always go for competent contractors who will deliver quality and enduring work and stop giving projects to portfolio or political contractors
“There are what we call regional development projects that can link up two states. Those are the kind of things NDDC should go for and give to competent contractors. Leave these political contractors. Leave all these portfolio contractors. Leave them alone. You have come to my state and you have seen what I have done.
“If I didn’t use Julius Berger and had used these political contractors, you won’t have seen anything here. Of course, you know how expensive Julius Berger is. From 2019 till now, we have done 12 flyovers by Julius Berger. You know how much we are talking about and you can replicate that. Even though they are expensive, you’ll see the value,” Wike said.
While further advising the NDDC new Board Chairman to do things differently, Wike said such difference should be the adoption of a regional development approach that will strictly adhere to the holistic development of Niger Delta States.
“I read what you said that things will be done differently. I want to believe that you’re sincere,” the governor said. “Sometimes, I feel ashamed of where I come from. We talk about underdevelopment, but look at the amount of money that has passed through NDDC, then look at the projects on the ground”