NDDC WARNS IDEATO FEDERAL LAWMAKER AGAINST TAKING CREDIT FOR COMMISSION’S PROJECTS, DEMANDS IMMEDIATE CORRECTION

PRESS STATEMENT

 

NDDC WARNS IDEATO FEDERAL LAWMAKER AGAINST TAKING CREDIT FOR COMMISSION’S PROJECTS, DEMANDS IMMEDIATE CORRECTION

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) hereby makes it unequivocally clear that projects funded and executed by the Commission must be recognised and credited to NDDC, not appropriated as personal or constituency achievements by any public officeholder. The Commission will not tolerate the misrepresentation of its development interventions or the erasure of its institutional contributions from public records. Accordingly, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, the member representing Ideato North and South Federal Constituency, is hereby warned to stop taking credit for projects delivered by the Commission and to ensure that all NDDC-funded interventions are properly identified and acknowledged. Public infrastructure belongs to the record of the institution that funded and delivered it, and no individual should misrepresent that record for political advantage.

 

The educational infrastructure projects covered by this clarification include County School, Ekeezealla Akokwa; the laboratory block at Comprehensive Secondary School, Umumaisiaku; Jubilee Nursery and Primary School, Akokwa; Akpulu Secondary School; Central School, Arondizuogu; Central School, Amazu Ikpaakaputa, Arondizuogu; Community Primary School 2, Uzii; Central School, Umuaghobe; the renovation of Umudike Primary School; the renovation of Abukwa Central Primary School; and the supply of more than 1,000 school desks. The healthcare interventions include the rehabilitation of Osina Community Hospital and Umuobom Health Centre. The Commission also draws attention to the borehole programme spanning 24 communities in Ideato North and South, comprising projects reported as completed, ongoing and awaiting mobilisation. These interventions must be properly documented and publicly attributed to their actual funding and implementing agencies. Where NDDC records establish the Commission’s ownership, the lawmaker must immediately correct any contrary public impression and give the Commission the recognition it deserves.

 

The Commission equally demands proper attribution of the reported installation of more than 2,000 solar-powered streetlights; the installation of 500kVA transformers in Obodoukwu, Abukwa Umuobom, Umuopia Akokwa, Dikenafai, Ogwume, Akpulu and Umukegwu; and the installation of a 10kV solar mini-grid at Anglican Convent, Umuokwara. These electricity interventions are central to improving community infrastructure, supporting economic activity and enhancing public safety. The Commission will insist that every project it funds is identified with appropriate signboards and acknowledged in public communications. The Federal lawmaker must stop presenting NDDC-funded infrastructure as his personal achievement and must ensure that project announcements, photographs, constituency scorecards and other publicity materials reflect the institution responsible for the work.

 

The Commission further warns Hon. Ugochinyere and all other public officeholders that political representation does not confer ownership of public projects. A lawmaker may facilitate development, advocate for communities or support the delivery of infrastructure, but such activities do not justify claiming exclusive credit for projects funded and executed by another public institution. The Commission demands an end to any practice that obscures its contributions or misleads the public about the origin of development projects in Ideato. All affected public communications and project displays must be corrected, and NDDC must receive explicit acknowledgement wherever its funding and execution are established by official records. The Commission will continue to defend the integrity of its institutional record and expects the lawmaker to comply with this demand.

 

The NDDC remains committed to sustainable development and the delivery of lasting benefits to communities across its mandate area. Its interventions must be visible, properly documented and correctly attributed. The Commission will continue to insist on transparency in the reporting of public investments and will not allow its legitimate contributions to be obscured by political publicity.

 

Signed:

 

Rufus Ibiwari

For Public Communications Unit, NDDC

October 13, 2026.

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