Minister of Regional Development, Engineer Abubakar Momoh, has urged all the regional commissions created to fast-track development to focus on people-oriented projects.
Doing this, he said, would help to address regional disparities, promote economic growth, and improve the quality of life for people in the regions.
The minister spoke during a three-day retreat on Institutional Coordination For Development organised by the ministry and held in Lagos.
Engineer Momoh said, despite the diverse nature of the region, the people have common environmental challenges.
The minister charged all the newly-established commissions to collaborate to leverage regional opportunities to expand intervention in health, education, security and build more capacity.
Momoh urged the regional commissions and development agencies to align their activities with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He listed the eight presidential priorities to include food security, poverty eradication, job creation, and the fight against corruption.
These commissions, Momoh explained, “are designed to drive development and address regional disparities across the country.
“These commissions are set to accelerate development across their respective regions,” he stated.
He emphasised that his ministry remained focused on the Niger Delta, ensuring that the region received the attention and resources it deserved.
In his welcome address, the Minister of State in the ministry, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, said the regional commissions would serve as purposeful vehicles to deliver the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The agenda, he added, aimed to re-ignite national development trajectory through sustainable and inclusive policies.
In his goodwill message, Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, assured that the Commission would deliver more projects for the benefit of the people.
He noted that several developmental projects were inaugurated recently as part of the NDDC’s 25th anniversary celebrations.
Ogbuku stated that another round of project commissioning would commence this month to reinforce the Commission’s ongoing commitment to regional development.
He assured that NDDC would remain guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu in its drive to quicken the development of the Niger Delta Region.
The Keynote Speaker at the retreat, Dr Sam Amadi, spoke on “Ideas and Lessons for Driving Nigeria’s Regional Development Commissions,” highlighting the importance of driving regional development across the country.
