President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has identified internal disunity and leadership struggles within the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as the root causes of the agency’s longstanding challenges, including the abandonment of over 17,500 projects across the region.
Speaking on Saturday at the grand finale of the 25th anniversary celebration of the NDDC in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Akpabio revealed that persistent power struggles and internal conspiracies have plagued the commission for years.
Akpabio, a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and ex-governor of Akwa Ibom State, said further lamented that frequent leadership changes and lack of cohesion have led to the abandonment of more than 17,500 projects across the Niger Delta.
He emphasised that these abandoned projects are a direct result of instability and infighting within the commission.
He said, “Why do we have so many problems in the NDDC? There are many reasons. Part of it is a leadership tussle. In the Niger Delta region, we have politics of the same head, where no one wants to wait for their turn.
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“Each management in the NDDC will conspire against itself. And the staff on the ground will assist you with quarrelling. Shortly after, they will send you away—maybe one of them will become Acting Managing Director. When I was Minister of the Niger Delta, I realised that was the main issue,” he stated.
In a startling revelation, the Senate President disclosed that for over two decades, the NDDC operated from a rented office on Aba Road in Port Harcourt, costing taxpayers ₦300 million annually despite the building not being connected to the national electricity grid.
“The NDDC, for more than 20 years, stayed in a rented apartment on Aba Road, paying ₦300 million a year. And that apartment was not connected to the national grid,” Akpabio said.
Akpabio’s comments come at a time of renewed calls for reform and accountability within the NDDC, which was established to fast-track the development of the oil-rich Niger Delta region but has faced repeated criticism over mismanagement, abandoned projects, and internal strife.
The Senate President urged stakeholders to prioritise unity, transparency, and service delivery to fulfil the commission’s mandate of regional development and socioeconomic upliftment.
