The Niger Delta Development Commission on Wednesday urged Communities in Edo State to own and protect projects sited in the communities by the commission.
Edo State Office Director of the NDDC, Mercy Babawale, gave the charge in Benin at a one-day workshop themed, ‘Capacity Building Programme for Stakeholders Across the Niger Delta Region on Community Ownership and Protection of NDDC Projects’.
Babawale, who said the core mandate of the NDDC is to ensure the Niger Delta region is developed, noted that the workshop was initiated to create awareness and to interact with communities in order to know what is happening in their various areas.
She said, “Most often, people in communities where our projects are sited feel they are government projects, so they have no business with them, it shouldn’t be so. We should take charge and protect projects sited in our communities. We should ensure that we don’t have vandals vandalising; we should ensure that we don’t have people coming to undo what has been done to us because these are benefits in our communities.
“The irony is that if we don’t protect these projects sited in our communities because we feel they belong to the government, we lose, while other people who take care of such projects benefit and have sustained projects in their communities.”
While charging stakeholders to ask questions anytime they suspect foul play in projects executed in their communities, she noted that the Commission doesn’t execute any project without reaching out to the people and knowing their needs in the community.
She added, “We do not have any projects in NDDC that are executed without need assessment. It is a compulsory criterion for all our projects. It is from the needs assessment that we prepare our budget.
“This is why you must be part of any projects being executed in your communities. You must be part of the development. Ask questions on projects being executed in your communities, particularly when you suspect compromise in standards. And in a situation where the contractor fails to listen to your concerns, reach out to us and we will call such contractors to order.”
Speaking also, the facilitator and Chief Executive Officer, Peace and Development Projects, Francis Abayomi, said poor execution of projects, neglect and lack of maintenance are some of the factors militating against NDDC projects in the region.
He noted that the NDDC projects belong to the communities and they have the responsibility to preserve them.
Also speaking, the Project Coordinator, Ovia Mathias, said the purpose of the programme was to engage stakeholders on the need to protect NDDC projects already completed in their communities in order to reduce damage.
On her part, one of the participants, Obehi Ogua, while thanking the NDDC for the enlightenment, promised to go back to her community and safeguard government projects as her own.
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