The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has re-affirmed its commitment to programmes aimed at empowering the youths of the Niger Delta region.
According to a statement by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Pius Ughakpoteni, on Sunday, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, gave this assurance during a stakeholders’ engagement in Akure, Ondo State.
Ogbuku, who was represented by the Executive Director Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, highlighted the pivotal role of youths in driving sustainable development.
He noted: “An engaged youth becomes productive not only for himself and his immediate family but also for the larger community”.
Speaking further on the NDDC’s youth development initiatives, Abegunde said that a lot of progress had been made with the Holistic Opportunities for Programmes and Projects of Engagements, Project HOPE.
He explained: “Project HOPE is one of the key initiatives of the Commission aimed at empowering our youths. This is also in line with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the region”.
“In order to guarantee the programme’s accessibility, NDDC’s Project Hope boasts of a platform where youths can easily register, while indicating their respective areas of interest like welding, agriculture and so on”.
The Executive Director Corporate Services observed that the empowerment initiative was designed to promote transparency, accountability and equal opportunities for all Niger Delta youths to benefit from NDDC’s empowerment schemes.
Meanwhile, the NDDC project HOPE team continued with its verification and assessment visits to farmlands donated by communities for the agricultural aspect of the programme. The team visited communities in Idu, Uruan, Ikot Esen, and Itu Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State, as part of the agricultural activities, expected to commence in the areas before the end of July.
The NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mrs. Winifred Madume, said that the verification exercise was necessary for a hitch free farming activity.
According to Madume: “We are in the process of verification. We came to assess and to verify the documents that had been presented to the Commission and to ensure that the consultant work out details that would conform with our standards”.
She said that the agricultural specimen of project HOPE would commence with planting of crops on or before third week of July and lauded the current leadership in NDDC for implementing programmes that have direct impact on the lives of people in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda.
In his remarks, the lead Consultant for Project HOPE, Ambassador Blessing Fubara, said the team was identifying cluster farm holders and owners, who would be the managers of the farms where the programme would be carried out.
He said: “We are looking at allocating ten hectares per farmer in each of the local government areas we find suitable. To a large extent, this exercise will encourage local content farmers.
