By Nathan Nwakamma
Yenagoa – The Bayelsa Government has expressed regret that Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is duplicating efforts with the state government on internal roads rehabilitation.
The Bayelsa Commissioner for Information, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Tuesday that both the state and NDDC were working on the same roads simultaneously.
Obuebite dismissed claims by NDDC that Bayelsa Government was taking credit for the commission’s efforts in road repairs and noted that the duplication of efforts was regrettable and avoidable.
NAN recalls that NNDC had in a statement on Sunday said that it was rehabilitating 14 internal roads in the state capital and other areas for which the Bayelsa Government was taking credit.
Mrs Ibim Semenitari, the NDDC Acting. Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NDDC, signed the statement.
Obuebite, however, explained that rehabilitation work by the state government was ongoing in over 52 internal roads while NDDC was working on 14 others.
He said the lack of synergy between the two organisations was responsible for the divergent views they were presenting.
“The Bayelsa Government through its Ministry of Works and Infrastructure is undertaking repair works on some of the roads NDDC is working on without the knowledge of the state government.
“We later found out that contractors we mobilised to site and NDDC contractors were working simultaneously from both ends of some of the roads, so the reports that we were taking credit for their projects are false.
“The intervention of NDDC on our internal roads are welcome but if you come to help someone, it is fundamental to synergise and do a need assessment, regrettably that was not done.
“Regrettably the NDDC and Bayelsa Ministry of Works and Infrastructure duplicated efforts because NDDC embarked on the road repairs without informing the state government,” Obuebite said.
The commissioner said that Gov. Seriake Dickson on Saturday inspected ongoing projects, an indication that so many construction and rehabilitation works were currently ongoing.
Obuebite commended NDDC for the intervention but pointed out that the misunderstanding would have been avoided if the NDDC liaised with the state government through the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.
“Such collaboration will prevent duplication and afford the NDDC the needed information on areas to concentrate on and with that this needless media outburst would have been avoided,” he said.
The commissioner also expressed dismay over the language of the acting managing director of NDDC.
“It was totally uncalled for to express such uncharitable words on the honourable commissioner and the government.
“ Ibim herself was a commissioner for information and on several occasions must have said something contestable. It is sad that she went that far”. he said.
Obuebite reassured of the commitment of the Dickson administration to be alive to its responsibility in spite of the economic hardship in the country.
Edited by Chukwudi Ekezie
