By Sandra Kenneth
The Federal Government has directed all regional development commissions across the country to follow the lead of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by formulating comprehensive master plans to be harmonized into a single national regional development policy framework.
The Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, gave the charge on Wednesday during the NDDC 2026 Partners for Sustainable Development Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Synergy for Transformation: Managing Regional Development, Local Governance and Sustainable Partnership in the Niger Delta,’ Momoh explained that every regional agency is expected to align its operational agenda with a national blueprint to ensure coordinated, data-driven, and equitable development nationwide.
“A common view of priorities supported by reliable data and linked to the National Regional Development Master Plan will enable us to identify gaps, sequence interventions, and avoid concentrating several projects in one location while other units elsewhere remain unattended,” Momoh stated.
Clarifying the administrative process, the minister noted that once a regional commission completes its master plan and secures board approval, the document must be submitted to the Ministry of Regional Development before being presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for final approval and budgetary integration.
Momoh further urged the commissions to prioritize projects aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, creating well-structured investment opportunities for private investors and international development partners in critical sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, renewable energy, and the digital economy.
In a goodwill message, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma—represented by his deputy, Mrs. Chinyere Ekomaru—stressed the necessity for governors of all nine oil-producing states to collaborate closely with the NDDC to achieve sustainable growth in the Niger Delta.
Earlier in his remarks, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, emphasized that robust stakeholder engagement remains central to the commission’s operational strategy under the current administration.
Ogbuku also announced that the newly constructed 1.2-kilometer Kaa-Ataba Bridge, connecting the Khana and Andoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State, will be officially named after President Bola Tinubu.
