General
A Citizen’s Assessment of NDDC’s Governing Board and Management
By Jerome-Mario Utomi
This piece stemmed from my recent conversation/encounter with Honourable Udengs Eradiri, former President, of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), former Commissioner for Youth Development, former Commissioner for Environment in Bayelsa state and Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the 2023 governorship election in Bayelsa state. The encounter took place during the recently held Niger Delta Summit 2024, organized by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital.
Beginning with the assessment of the present governing board and management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Honourable Udengs described the present board and management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as among the most disciplined board the Commission has ever had, noting that this is the first time the people of the region are not hearing of bickering in NDDC board.
While he thanked His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu for appointing this calibre of people into the Commission’s board and management, the former President of Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC), also stated as follows; I would like to commend the board for what they are doing. Thanks to Mr. President for appointing this kind of people to the board. The first time we’re not hearing bickering on the NDDC board. By this time, one person will be fighting to be lord over the other. I want to especially commend the person of the Managing Director (MD), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, who has demonstrated the capacity to be able to manage various interests. And that’s part of the reason we’re all here. It’s part of managing the interests of the stakeholders.
Eradiri, an Engineer, noted that the Chairman of the Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie is a decent man and not this ambitious kind of persons who want to bring their ambitions to the board and destroy the focus of the institution, adding that the present board has shown that they understand the issues.
“This NDDC board and management have shown that they understand the issues. But like I said, I’m not surprised because of the kind of people that were appointed. Some of them didn’t even know that they would be on this board. Like when I was talking to the chairman. He didn’t lobby for it. They just announced him. So, for him, it is an opportunity to serve the people. As for the Managing Director, he came from the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), and IYC is a breeding ground for true leadership. That is why anyone that comes out from the IYC, and is picked to manage the public office, you see some difference in the engagement.”
Still, on the capacity to lead, the former Commissioner said; ”The MD is part of us. We were all agitated until NDDC was created. So, if you are put in an agency that you fought for its creation, you must work well. And people like us who know the MD personally know that this board is one of the most disciplined boards NDDC has ever had. Before, by now, you will have heard that the chairman wants to be OGA of everybody. Others will say no, we no go gree. Before you know it, bickering everywhere at the expense of the group. But that is not the case with the present board and management.”
“As you can see, the Chairman is always leading board members to action. It has never been like this before. For me, this board is one of the best I’ve seen.”
“Under the present board and management, the Niger Delta region is being lit up. The Niger Delta is lit up now. Before, you can’t even walk at night. Everywhere would be dark. No light. Just look at the way they have lit up everywhere. I was flying one day, and I saw the amazing light-ups that you could now see from the skies. It’s nice to see that across the board, there is this even distribution of infrastructures by the NDDC.”
While urging the President to have confidence in this board and management and ensure that all the funds due the commission are released to the agency, the former Commissioner also encouraged Mr President to remove the Commission from TSA to aid efficiency and effectiveness in its performance.
Away from the removal of the Commission from TSA to ensuring the availability of funds for the agency, Idengs has this to say; The NDDC is owed over 2 trillion. The president should give them his support because this leadership is a responsible one. They have shown that they do not have one governorship ambition or the other that usually distracts the board.
Having expressed discipline, I think the president should reward their hard work and commitment to their job by releasing funds to them because we know that those funds will be injected into areas that will affect positively, the lives of the Niger Delta people and make Nigeria a pleasure-filled estate. He, therefore, called on stakeholders to go back home and mobilize support for this NDDC.
Asked about the possibility of the Niger Delta region becoming self-sufficient in food production, Honourable Udengs observed that the Southern part of Nigeria is very fertile but the lands have not been prepared for agriculture and that’s where the intervention agency should come in and ensure that acres of land are cleared across the Niger Delta. Financial aid is made available to farmers, education is given to the farmers on what to do and the market is provided for them to sell their finished produce.
“These are the things that will support agriculture in the Niger Delta. Clear and mechanize the environment, provide access to loans that will support them in farming and a link between the people and the market. That is why we were talking about building agro-villages, villages where people know that if you go there, you buy gaari that is cheap because they can move their goods and process it.”
He stressed that the commission and governors of the state must synergize. The Engineer turned politician further revealed that many years ago, the South-South states governors setup what they referred to as the BRACED Commission – (Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross-river, Edo and Delta) to look at the development of the Niger Delta region.
BRACED, he added, has been in existence for many years. So, what I’m saying is that the government should unite and have a purpose. For now, there’s no purpose. You’re not seeing them support the NDDC other than lip service, you’re not seeing them support the Commission that is supposed to drive economic and infrastructural advancement of the region. They only rule on talk shows. No action. Now, look at the crisis of food in the country. Look at the infrastructural deficit’’.
“The presidency has unbundled power. The Niger Delta has what it takes to generate enough power that can provide 24-hour power beyond Niger Delta. The governors under the BRACED Commission are not even thinking about how to come together and see how they can take advantage of it to create power, make money from it and provide for their citizens. So, the governors of the Niger Delta need to do better than what we’re seeing,” he concluded.
Jerome-Mario Utomi writes from Lagos, Nigeria. He can be reached via [email protected], 08032725374
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos State Government has expressed its readiness to get a brand-new Building Code next year, to achieve the high-performance standards needed to make Lagos a sustainable and Smart City.
The government’s readiness was disclosed at the Lagos State Executive Council Retreat on the Domestication of the Lagos Building Code, organised by the Office of the Special Adviser on e-GIS and Urban Development, held at Ikeja GRA on Wednesday.
Speaking during the retreat, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu emphasised the need for more collaboration among all the ministries and agencies in the built sector, to ensure the state development in line with global best practices.
He said the motive behind the Lagos Building Code is to have a building regulation that would make Lagos much more resilient.
“We (Lagos State Government) are the first to domesticate the National Building Code, which is the creation of the Federal Government. We are not doing anything outside the vision at the sovereign and sub-sovereign levels. But what is unique about our own is the fact that all the cabinet members see the need to have an input because it would be an outcome that would affect lives and different ministries and agencies.
“So, there is a need for everybody to have a say, and at the end of the day, collectively we will resolve to have a way.
“What we are trying to do is for Lagos State to do what is obtainable internationally: have a building regulation in which we have a standard of construction in design, manner of land use occupancy, and use of building materials, which we believe would eventually improve and help with health, safety, and occupancy issues.
“It is all about building sustainably, making Lagos a lot more resilient and able to absorb shock in the future and able to stand in the comity of developed cities and city-states as we see in various parts of the world,” he said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on eGIS and Urban Development, Mr Olajide Babatunde, stated that the Lagos Building Code is to complement the existing regulatory framework and provide a comprehensive solution to the challenges of land use, physical development, and urban planning.
Mr Babatunde said the Lagos Building Code will regulate building control, planning permission, and address the issues of setbacks; take care of the safety and sustainability of the environment; and also prevent the collapse of buildings.
“We have been working on the domestication of the National Building Code, and by next year, we are going to have our own brand-new Lagos Building Code. We have worked with professional bodies and people from academia, market women, and the public in general, and through a participatory approach, we can come out with a document that is acceptable to everyone and useful to the entire state,” he said.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Mr Olufemi Daramola, described the Lagos State Building Code initiative by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration as the next step to Green Lagos that will enable the state to plan buildings properly and ensure durable infrastructure in the state.
During the retreat, members of the Lagos State Executive Council brainstormed and advocated aggressive sensitisation for residents of the State on the Lagos Building Code before implementation.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A report released by Spotify has revealed that in 2024, Apostle Femi Lazarus was the most streamed podcast on its platform, closely followed by Motivation Daily by Motiversity.
Podcasts are one of Africa’s favourite ways to tell stories. With almost 4 billion minutes of podcast audio played in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, the continent’s appetite for this content is loud and clear.
South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya listened to the most shows this year, with South Africa contributing over 2 billion minutes. If you started playing podcasts on one device today, it would make for about 30 centuries of listening.
“The numbers don’t lie. Podcasting is here to stay because it lets creators take control of their narratives and tell these stories on their terms while bringing their community along for the journey,” the Sub-Saharan Africa Podcast Manager for Spotify, Ncebakazi Manzi, stated.
Motivational shows around issues like managing finances, relationships, personal goals and health remain popular across the three leading countries. Shows like “The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett”, “Motivation Daily by Motiversity” and “The Success Addicted Podcast” have attracted listeners who want to get their lives in order and learn from the stories of inspirational people.
Audiences in Nigeria and South Africa embrace shows about spirituality. “Christian Motivation” had one of the most shared episodes in South Africa while “Apostle Joshua Selman” maintained his popularity in Nigeria for another year. As the continent’s second-largest podcast market, Nigeria listened to 700 million minutes in 2024 and it created half of the new shows published in Sub-Saharan Africa this year.
Even though spirituality dominated Nigeria’s top charts, the continued popularity of shows like “I Said What I Said” and “The HonestBunch Podcast” tell us that listeners also want conversation-style shows. Listeners in Kenya and South Africa also showed an affinity toward these shows.
A good laugh with friends
The “ShxtsnGigs” podcast, an opinion show hosted by two best friends James and Fuhad, tapped into audiences’ hunger for conversational shows. The humorous podcast has made its way to the top charts in six of the top 10 podcast-playing African countries. In Kenya, The 97s Podcast has been inspired by this approach where funny and frank chats between hosts Trevor, Frank and Dante have led the podcast to take the number-one spot in the country for the first time.
Kenya’s broader listening data shows that relationships are a meaningful taking point. Seven of the 10 most shared episodes in the country discuss love, sex lives and dating. Julia Gaitho’s “So This Is Love” holds three out of the top five most shared podcast episodes in the country. Her interviews resonated because she draws lessons from her guest’s stories about lost lovers.
Some listeners just wanted to laugh through the pain. Ensemble shows like “Mic Cheque Podcast” and “The Sandwich Podcast” made Kenyans feel like they were hanging out with a close circle of friends. When difficult topics come up, moments of infectious laughter help lighten the mood.
Women creators like Murugi Munyi, Julia Gaitho, Sharon Machira and Lydia K.M. take this comedic approach to a new level on shows like “The Messy Inbetween” and ‘It’s Related, I Promise’. This genre contributed heavily to the country’s 400 million podcast minutes streamed in 2024.
Below are the most streamed and shared podcasts for the year;
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TOP STREAMED PODCASTS IN SOUTH AFRICA |
TOP STREAMED PODCASTS IN NIGERIA |
TOP STREAMED PODCASTS IN KENYA |
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2. Motivation Daily by Motiversity 3. Success Addicted Podcast with the voice of Earl Nightingale ; Napoleon Hill ; Jim Rohn and many more |
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TOP SHARED PODCAST EPISODES IN SOUTH AFRICA |
TOP SHARED PODCAST EPISODES IN KENYA |
TOP SHARED PODCAST EPISODES IN NIGERIA |
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By Dipo Olowookere
A $15 million debt facility has been obtained by Watt Renewable Corporation from the AfriGreen Debt Impact Fund to finance hybrid solar power plants to be built and operated by the former, especially in Nigeria.
WATT intends to use the projects to serve commercial and industrial clients in Nigeria, particularly in the telecommunication and financial services sectors.
By integrating solar hybrid solutions, the firm aims to significantly reduce diesel consumption and CO2 emissions, enabling its clients to achieve substantial energy cost savings while promoting environmental sustainability.
As a pioneer in renewable energy solutions, WATT continues to drive innovation in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The company’s robust roll-out plan includes deploying hundreds of hybrid solar power sites nationwide to meet the growing energy demands of commercial & industrial clients.
This strategic expansion aligns with WATT’s vision to revolutionize energy access across Africa, enabling sustainable development and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The funds from AfriGreen provide the critical capital needed to accelerate WATT’s ambitious projects, strengthening its market position and empowering businesses with reliable and affordable energy solutions.
Business Post gathered that to mitigate the currency risk for WATT in the event of devaluation of the Nigerian Naira, AfriGreen is offering a local currency facility that matches the payment structure of the power purchase agreements.
“We are thrilled to partner with AFRIGREEN on this transformative journey to expand reliable and sustainable energy solutions across Africa.
“With this support, it enables us to accelerate our shared mission of providing hybrid solar power to businesses, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting economic growth while enhancing energy security for our clients,” the Managing Director of WATT, Mr Oluwole Eweje, said.
“We are delighted to support WATT in rolling out hundreds of hybrid sites across the country.
“This represents another key transaction for AFRIGREEN in Nigeria. The combination of high energy prices, good solar irradiation, and strong demand from industrial and commercial energy users makes this market particularly attractive for companies like WATT.
“By leveraging these favourable market conditions alongside WATT’s exceptional operational performance and a well-structured financing solution, we are setting the stage for a strong and lasting business partnership,” the Managing Director of AfriGreen, Mr Alexandre Gilles, stated.
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