Akpabio tasks SSDC on Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has urged the board and management of the South South Development Commission (SSDC) to embark on impactful projects that will uplift the living standards of the people in the region and advance President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.

Akpabio made the call on Thursday in Abuja when the newly inaugurated board of the Commission paid him a courtesy visit. He noted that the SSDC carries a huge responsibility to accelerate development and foster economic growth across the six states of the South South region.

In a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Anietie Ekong, Senator Akpabio said: “The ball is now in your court to add value to the South South region through this development Commission.

“You have a lot of responsibilities to develop the region. I want you to know that it is not a bonanza. It is a call to service. It is a call to put on your thinking cap to add value to the economy of the nation, to add value to the renewed hope agenda of the President who set up this Commission.

“I congratulate the President and I thank him for finding it necessary to give us the South South Development Commission. They say, one good turn deserves another.

“The Niger Delta has been good to Nigeria. We have kept the economy of the nation going and so giving us this opportunity to further develop other resources in the Niger Delta is also evidence that Nigeria also cares about us,” he said.

The Senate President expressed appreciation to members of both chambers of the National Assembly for passing the SSDC bill into law, despite earlier reservations that the region already had the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He clarified that the new Commission’s mandate goes beyond oil-producing communities to encompass the entire South South region.

Akpabio also pledged the National Assembly’s commitment to ensuring adequate funding for the Commission and other regional development bodies nationwide.

According to him, “We shall continue to support you to fully take off and execute big projects that we shall come and commission. We will support you to make sure you are adequately funded. You can count on me, my office and my colleagues. We will support you to succeed.”

Chairman of the SSDC Board, Prince Chibudom Nwuche, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu, the Senate President, and the National Assembly for ensuring the passage of the Commission’s bill into law despite various challenges.

He expressed confidence that with the team’s competence, the SSDC would deliver on its objectives.

“Under my leadership as Chairman, I assure you that we shall keep faith in executing the core mandate of this Commission. We will work closely with you and the Senate and listen to guidance from our stakeholders. We will avoid the mistakes of the past and make sure our people feel the impact of governance,” he said.

The pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Ms. Usoro Akpabio, commended Senator Akpabio’s leadership and the Senate’s role in establishing the SSDC. She pledged that the agency would pursue a comprehensive regional economic agenda for the six states in the South South.

According to Ms. Akpabio, the Commission’s vision encompasses human capital development and infrastructural renewal. “This Commission will align with other sister development agencies, and work with the states while we carry out our own independent mandate. We will unlock the potentials and the stranded wealth of the South South people.

“Ours is to be a role model for other developmental agencies in Nigeria because we will carry out sustainable development for the people. We will unlock the potentials of the South South people and at the same time we will use the opportunity bring out a lot of talents in the region across all sectors,” she assured.