The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has declared its readiness to ensure that vandals no longer have their way in vandalising critical infrastructure projects in the communities that make up the Niger Delta region.

The NDDC made the resolve at a one-day capacity-building programme for stakeholders on community ownership and protection of the NDDC project in Port Harcourt, organised by the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the NDDC and partners.

It faulted the actions of vandals who intentionally destroy completed and ongoing projects, noting that such act works against the region’s development.

The Director of Rivers Operations at NDDC, Okezie Ule, representing the Managing Director of the commission, Samuel Ogbuku, said the training would equip participants with the knowledge to safeguard projects executed in their communities.

Ule said that given the scale of projects executed by the NDDC, it became imperative to organise the training, assuring that the NDDC would continue to execute people-oriented projects while also taking steps to protect completed and ongoing facilities.

He described the vandalisation of projects shortly after they were commissioned as a major setback to the commission’s development efforts.

“We have seen with dismay how many of our projects, even those strongly requested by the communities, are left to deteriorate. Vandals have targeted some of these projects, including valuable assets such as solar streetlights that illuminate many of our communities,” Ule said.

“It is discouraging that funds are invested in critical infrastructure, particularly assets such as pathways and lighting systems, only for them to be vandalised,” he added.

Ule also warned individuals involved in vandalism to stay away from NDDC projects and urged community members to take responsibility for protecting facilities located within their areas.

Also speaking, the Rivers State representative on the commission’s board, Tony Okocha, said that the training would ensure that projects executed by the NDDC are properly safeguarded.

Represented by his Special Assistant on Technical Matters, Chibuzor Kwelle, Okocha commended communities that have already taken steps to protect development projects in their areas.