Niger Delta Development: NDDC Ties Consultant Fees to Procurement of EIA Permits
By Our Reporter
PORT HARCOURT – In a decisive move to accelerate sustainable infrastructural delivery and ensure strict adherence to environmental best practices, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has intensified efforts to conclude all pending Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certification processes for 180 development projects spread across the Niger Delta region.
The intervention represents a major breakthrough in the Commission’s quest to unlock critical infrastructure that has been stalled due to bureaucratic and regulatory bottlenecks. The affected projects span multiple intervention sectors and cut across the 2014, 2016, and 2022 fiscal cycles.
Speaking during a crucial strategic engagement with EIA consultants at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Director of Environmental Protection and Control (EPC), Mrs. Anthonia Akpan, revealed that the intervention has already recorded significant progress.
She noted that resolving these long-standing EIA certification issues was paramount to fulfilling the Commission’s core mandate to the people of the region.
According to Mrs. Akpan, protracted delays in securing vital environmental approvals and certificates from the Federal Ministry of Environment had severely slowed down the pace of project delivery.
This administrative lag, she observed, had inadvertently prolonged the infrastructural deficit in the Niger Delta and negatively impacted oil-bearing communities that were eagerly expecting to benefit from the projects.
To break the logjam, the NDDC Management took a proactive step by submitting a formal appeal to the Honourable Minister of Environment.
”Following a formal appeal submitted by the Commission to the Minister of Environment, the Ministry approved waivers and concessions to facilitate the close-out of all pending EIA applications,” Akpan explained.
The Director added that the concessions sought by the NDDC included the Ministry’s approval of internal in-house review processes, a waiver or reduction of statutory charges and fees, and the immediate issuance of EIA certificates for the backlog of affected projects.
To ensure a smooth transition, Mrs. Akpan assured the consultants that the NDDC Management has firmly resolved to settle all outstanding statutory obligations and fees required by the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The New Policy Doctrine: Accountability Over Rhetoric
In a bid to institutionalize transparency and prevent a recurrence of such delays, the Director disclosed that the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has introduced a stringent new administrative directive. Under the new policy framework, payments for EIA consultancy services have been explicitly tethered to performance and measurable outcomes.
“Going forward, payment for EIA services shall only be made to consultants upon the successful securing of EIA permits from the Federal Ministry of Environment,” Mrs. Akpan warned. “This means that the final release of consultancy fees is now tied directly to the delivery of valid EIA certificates and permits for each project.”
She emphasized that this reformative directive is aimed at ensuring total accountability, maximizing value for taxpayers’ money, and guaranteeing the timely completion of rigorous environmental assessment processes for all ongoing and future interventions.
Also speaking at the forum, the Deputy Director of Environmental Protection and Control in charge of Ecological Monitoring, Mr. Oscar Abayisemore, stated that the interactive session was specifically convened to communicate Management’s sweeping reforms to the consultants handling the Commission’s portfolios.
He expressed strong optimism that these streamlined measures would foster a smoother, more efficient, and predictable EIA process within the NDDC moving forward.
Reacting to the development on behalf of the service providers, the Coordinating Consultant, Mr. Daniel George, lauded the NDDC leadership for its pragmatism. He described the engagement as a golden opportunity to clean up the Commission’s project registry and resolve deep-seated backlog issues.
”We are happy for this opportunity and grateful for the initiative taken by the Managing Director through the EPC Department,” Mr. George stated. “This process will help us close out several outstanding EIA projects and ultimately benefit the people of the Niger Delta region.”
With this renewed synergy between the NDDC, the Federal Ministry of Environment, and private consultants, stakeholders in the region are optimistic that the commissioning of vital roads, bridges, and community health facilities will see an unprecedented upsurge in the coming months.
