The House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has said the commission’s proposed N1.75 trillion 2025 budget should result in visible and measurable development in Niger Delta communities.
Chairman of the committee, Erhiatek Ibori-Suenu, made this clear during the NDDC budget defense at the National Assembly on Tuesday, stressing that lawmakers would not approve the proposal as a mere formality.
According to him, the Budget represents new hope and opportunity for millions of people in the oil producing region and hence should be people-centric, transparent and strictly aligned with national development priorities.
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“The NDDC budget represents the promise of hope, opportunity and a better quality of life for our people,” Ibori-Suenu said. “Each line item must be purposeful and align with the Renewed Hope agenda. This committee will emphasize accountability, transparency and value for money.”
He emphasized that the House will rigorously scrutinize the Budget 2025 to ensure that it delivers measurable results in critical areas such as infrastructure development, human capacity building, youth empowerment and economic inclusion.
Appreciating the ongoing reform efforts of the Commission, the Committee Chairman said that legislative support will be strictly linked to performance and verifiable results on the ground.
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“The people of Niger Delta deserve projects they can see, use and benefit from,” he said, promising continued legislative oversight to ensure effective implementation of the budget.
Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, presented the Commission’s N1.75 trillion 2025 budget proposal, themed “Budget of Consolidation”.
He described this as a shift from transactional governance to a results-driven and transformational development approach.
Ogbuku explained that the proposed budget reflects the reform agenda of the current management and is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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He said the commission adopted a no-borrowing strategy, which resulted in a nine percent cut from the 2024 budget.
According to him, personnel costs were estimated at N47.5 billion, overheads at N96.4 billion, while capital expenditure remains the main focus of the proposal.
The Managing Director also revealed that the Commission has abandoned line-item budgeting in favor of regional allocation, which is aimed at reducing project delays and improving efficiency.
Reviewing the commission's 2024 performance, Ogbuku said the NDDC had surpassed its revenue projections, recording N1.945 trillion in actual revenue against the projected N1.911 trillion.
The session ended with assurances from both the Parliamentarians and the management of the Commission to deepen cooperation towards providing sustainable development and inclusive growth in the Niger Delta region.
