The Niger Delta Development Commission on Wednesday urged communities in Edo State to take ownership and safeguard projects sited in their local areas by the commission. The appeal was made during a one-day workshop in Benin themed, ‘Capacity Building Programme for Stakeholders Across the Niger Delta Region on Community Ownership and Protection of NDDC Projects’.
Edo State Office Director of the NDDC, Mercy Babawale, emphasized that community participation is key to ensuring the sustainability of development projects. She noted that many residents often view projects as government property and fail to protect them, allowing vandalism and neglect to undermine their benefits.
Babawale said, “We should take charge and protect projects sited in our communities. We should ensure that we don’t have vandals vandalising; we should ensure that we don’t have people coming to undo what has been done because these are benefits in our communities.” She further urged stakeholders to report any suspected compromise in project execution, adding that all NDDC projects are based on community needs assessments.
The facilitator and CEO of Peace and Development Projects, Francis Abayomi, highlighted poor execution and lack of maintenance as challenges facing NDDC projects. Project Coordinator Ovia Mathias reiterated that the programme aims to encourage stakeholders to actively protect completed projects.
One participant, Obehi Ogua, pledged to return to her community and treat government projects as her own, ensuring their sustainability. The NDDC stressed that active community involvement is critical to achieving long-term development goals in the Niger Delta region.
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