Power Station Components worth 34Milion US Dollars belonging to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) abandoned at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Rivers State since 2017 was Thursday discovered by the Interim managment Committe (IMC).
The IMC led by the Executive Director of Projects (Ag) Dr. Cairo Ojougboh and Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Chief Bassey Etang on receiving a report on the NDDC CARGO quickly visited the Nigerian Ports Authority, Rivers to see the abandoned equipments met for NDDC Sub-station, Ekparagwa and Ikot Epkene in Akwa Ibom state.
Addressing newsmen during the inspection, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh while thanking President Muhammadu Buhari for bringing the Interim managment Committe, said the new board would have continued on the same pattern of maladministration by previous boards.
He said; “First, I thank Mr. President for bringing in the Interim managment Committee. I know that the New board that would have come in, could have continued in this same pattern. But this time around, there is call for change; and the Change is positive. More credits to Mr. President.
“It is very unfortunate that since these equipments were imported in 2017, no official of the NDDC have ever come to look at it. A project we know is about $35 Milion this is were it ended up. But the IMC will resurrect it and complete it”, he noted.
He added; “You can see that there have been a deviation from the master plan of the NDDC to the extent that every managment that comes will want to start a new cousre and abandon the projects of the previous administrations; but this time around, we have come to realise that the government is a continuum. So we are concentrating on the legacy projects of the NDDC so that the people of the Niger Delta Region will know that indeed there is an NDDC.”
Also, head of Marketing Department Ports and Terminal Operations, Adaku Ugochukwu said the items were components of Power Station brought in to the ports since 2017, adding that to NDDC officials has come to even see the equipments.
“We wouldn’t know why the owners have not come to clear them because as a Terminal we are even bordered because space. Every Terminal wants space to do their business but these equipments have been abandoned here.
“Since 2017 we have been looking for how to make the people that brought it take it. No NDDC official has come for the equipments, this is the first time NDDC officials led by the Interim managment Committe are coming officially to see the Commission’s CARGO since 2017”, he said.
Ealier, the Executive Director of Finance and Administration (EDFA) Chief Bassey Etang wondered why NDDC items that arrived to the Port since 2017 are still lying down here in the port.
“There is serious need to question why this items are still here. We are here to see things for ourselves and make sure we evacuate these items as soon a possible because these items we understand are met for our sub-station for Ekparagwa and Ikot Epkene. So we will see what we can do about these equipments.
“From the Batch Numbers, you can see NDDC to confirm that they are NDDC equipments. Mr. President brought us to bring sanity to the NDDC and that is why we are here to stop corruption and ensure that the proper thing is done”, he noted
