The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is developing a comprehensive governance framework aimed at strengthening accountability, transparency and institutional safeguards in the development of the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this in Port Harcourt during a pre-conference briefing ahead of the 2026 Partnership for Sustainable Development Conference.
Ogbuku said the framework was necessary to address some of the institutional challenges that had affected the Commission in the past, particularly the absence of clear governance guidelines.
He said the framework would establish clear rules for the management and staff of the Commission, while also defining the expectations and responsibilities of stakeholders.
According to him, the framework, when adopted, would become a document against which the Managing Director, Governing Board and management of the NDDC could be held accountable.
Ogbuku said the initiative was designed to protect the Commission's development mandate and prevent practices capable of undermining the interests of the Niger Delta.
He said the forthcoming conference would also provide the NDDC with an opportunity to account to the people of the region for its activities, urging stakeholders to engage with the Commission and offer constructive criticism.
The NDDC boss said the Commission was also advancing its digital transformation programme, with its directors currently undergoing training as part of efforts to automate its operations.
He said digitisation would reduce human interference and opportunities for corruption, while eliminating avoidable delays and improving the tracking and retrieval of official documents.
Ogbuku called for sustained collaboration between the NDDC and stakeholders, saying their support had contributed to the Commission's progress.
“With your support, the NDDC is respected today. We want to solicit more support. Where we make mistakes, call us; we shall listen to you,” he said.
He said the conference should go beyond discussions about the Commission to address broader social and developmental challenges confronting communities across the Niger Delta.
Ogbuku also attributed the NDDC's current performance partly to the support of President Bola Tinubu.
He urged stakeholders to examine the respective roles of the NDDC and other institutions in addressing the region's development challenges and achieving sustainable growth.
The NDDC Director of Community and Rural Development, Engr. Theophilus Alagoa, said the conference would provide an avenue for stakeholders to develop a policy framework capable of promoting greater synergy in the region.
Alagoa said the objective was to encourage stakeholders to work towards a common development plan for the Niger Delta.
He said the Commission had progressed from its previous aspiration of being “determined to make a difference” to actually “making a difference” in the region.
The Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Igali, also urged stakeholders to strengthen cooperation towards sustainable development.
Igali called for the involvement of traditional institutions, host communities, youth organisations and other stakeholders in the development process.
He also urged government agencies, including the South-South Development Commission and the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority, alongside civil society organisations, to support the NDDC's development efforts.
The conference is expected to focus on partnerships, accountability and strategies for advancing sustainable development across the Niger Delta.
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