Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has advised the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to stop being partisan and face its task of developing the South-south region.
Wike spoke on Friday when he received the Governing Board of the commission at the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
He criticised some actions of the NDDC that had political undertone, saying such had made the commission to lose focus.
Wike also condemned instances where NDDC acted as if it were a federating state.
“NDDC is not a state. Therefore, it should respect the laws of the states where it operates,” he said.
“NDDC cannot wake up and start projects without seeking the cooperation of the host states.
“It is worrisome that NDDC is trying to politicise the execution of projects and this will not help the development of the region. NDDC is not a political party.
“For now, we are talking about governance and all efforts must be geared towards the betterment of the people,” he said.
Wike, however, expressed regret that the immediate past NDDC leadership never related with the Rivers State Government on development issues.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Board of the NDDC, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, promised that the new board would change the narrative of the NDDC by making the commission functional and responsive to the needs of the Niger Delta.
Ndoma-Egba was accompanied by NDDC Managing Director, Mr. Nsima Ekere, and other board members.
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