Asaba: The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Samuel Ogbuku, says the commission has paid its counterpart fund for the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise Project (LIFE-ND) to ensure food security in the region.
The LIFE-ND project was an agriculture intervention project sponsored by the Federal Government, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the NDDC to boost food security in the region.
Ogbuku disclosed this while fielding questions at the commission’s 25th Anniversary World Press Briefing on Monday in Asaba, Delta.
He stated that the commission has equipped and trained farmers in the region on best practices, adding that it has also established Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce with a commitment of N30 billion, but has released N5 billion to encourage commerce and entrepreneurship in the area.
According to him, agriculture is among the next phase of the commission’s programmes aimed at addressing food security in the region.
“Our target is to use agriculture to fight criminalities in the Niger Delta region,” he said.
He stated that the commission would hold a retreat to develop plans for enhancing the cultivation of rice, oil palm, cassava, and maize for industrial purposes.
The managing director also disclosed that the fund allocation from the Federal Government has improved, adding that funding from the International Oil Companies (IOC) has also improved, with increased compliance.
He revealed that, although its revenue has improved, the commission had thought it wise not to borrow but to deploy the surplus to execute more projects.
Ogbuku said that the commission has gone digital in its documentation and data generation to address its human capital development projects, ensuring the even deployment of resources where people take turns being trained in their chosen profession.
He stated that the commission was committed to addressing the environmental challenges and erosion-prone areas in Edo, Delta, and other states, subject to the availability of funds.
The high point of the occasion was the award of excellence and transformational leadership presented to the NDDC MD, Chief Samuel Ogbuku and the Chairman, Mr Chiedu Ebie, by the Delta council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by its Chairman, Mr Churchill Oyowe.
