Minister Momoh to Face Funding Challenges – Niger Delta Activist

…..insists the Minister Must Set Agenda for the New NDDC Board, if He Must Succeed

A Public Affairs Analyst, Kenny Okolugbo, has called on the Minister of Niger Delta Development, Hon. Engr. Abubakar Momoh, to reposition Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and set an agenda for the new board, if he is to succeed as a minister.

The former Commissioner representing Ndokwa nation in the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) said the challenge before Minister Momoh would be funding, which was part of the frustration the former minister and now Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, faced in that ministry.

Okolugbo, who spoke in an interview with TVC, said Minister Abubakar Momoh comes with a wealth of experience, and he expects him to perform. However, he emphasized that the challenges before the Minister would be related to funding. Therefore, “if Minister Momoh is going to succeed, he must think outside the box, have a good relationship with the Senate President, who has occupied that office, to be able to fund the budget and seek extra-budgetary provisions to make any meaningful impact in the Niger Delta region.”

According to the public affairs analyst, “there was a time when the former minister and the current Senate President had to drop about 345 projects to fund the East-West road, and despite all the funds committed from the ministry, that same road remains incomplete. This was part of the frustration the former minister faced, but it only became public knowledge when the minister decided to speak out.”

While commenting on the earlier planned scrapping of the ministry, Okolugbo said, “the right thing and the best thing that Mr. President did was to bring back the ministry because this ministry covers nine states – six in the South-South and others such as Abia, Imo, and Ondo states, which are also part of the Niger-Delta and covered by the NDDC.”

“The ministry was created to take care of the region that produces the economic mainstay of the country and correct imbalances that have occurred in the past in the region. Funding has been the major problem of the ministry, which has not been properly funded,” he added.

“So, if Minister Abubakar Momoh is going to succeed, he has to think outside the box, have a good relationship with the Senate President, who has occupied that office, to fund the budget and ask for extra-budgetary provisions to be able to make an impact because the underdevelopment in this region is significant and cannot be ignored.”

“What I expect Minister Momoh to do is to develop synergy with the new board chairman of the NDDC so that they can act as checks and balances on the excesses of the Managing Director of the NDDC. The minister should be able to carry out his oversight on NDDC because if the NDDC Board fails or succeeds, the buck stops at the desk of Minister Abubakar Momoh.”

“He must, therefore, establish a working arrangement where it would be evident that the NDDC will genuinely fulfill its mandate by initiating and completing projects for a meaningful impact on the people.”

“He must also develop synergy with the governors to avoid redundancy in projects and sharp practices. He must surround himself with the right people.”

“I advise him to start with the East-West road because if he can complete it, he will have his name written in gold. He must overcome whatever obstacles have hindered the road’s completion. If he secures the funding to finish the project, that would be the first hurdle he would have crossed.”

“The Minister’s advantage is that the Senate President is from his party, has been a minister in the same ministry, and is also from the same region as Momoh. There’s nothing new you’re going to tell Akpabio about that ministry. If the Senate President lamented that he had to drop 345 projects to address the East-West road, you know what that means.”

“If he can sit with Akpabio, lobby him to allocate funding for his ministry and the East-West Road, he can complete that project within nine months if the funds are available.”