BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
The newly appointed Chairperson of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Governing Board, Lauretta Onochie, has asked Nigerians to give her and other members of the board a breathing space for their job.
Onochie stated this on Wednesday while delivering her acceptance speech shortly after the Minister of Niger-Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana inaugurated the 7th Governing Board of the NDDC in Abuja.
She said, “Since its establishment by the NDDC Act, the Commission has received a lot of flack from all and sundry.
“Consequently, the board will be looking to review also, in addition to all the guidelines issued by the Honourable Minister, will be looking to review the existing policies and guidelines to enable us to have a clear sight as we hit the ground running.
“We cannot continue working with failed templates and expect to get a different result.
“Apart from the physical development of our region, we will be paying extra attention to the empowerment of our teeming youth population, equipping them with requisite skills to enable that to catch up with their peers in other parts of Nigeria and elsewhere.
“There’s no doubt that we have a huge task ahead of us. We ask for the support of Nigerians in general and the Niger Delta in particular.
“We ask that you give us a breathing space to generate great ideas that will bring about the desired change in the region. We are determined to do a great job.
“We are committed to the improvement of the economic and ecological well-being of our region. We are devoted to the prosperous future of the youths of the region. We will not fail. It’s a promise, but we ask that you give us the breathing space to do our job.
“We ask for your support, All and sundry so that we can deliver for the long-suffering people of the Niger Delta.”
