Emmanuel Ukudolo I Thursday, April 09.26
PORT HARCOURT – The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Dr. Abdullahi Bello, has issued a stern reminder to the staff of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), stating that strict adherence to the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act is mandatory for all public servants.
Speaking during an enlightenment session on good governance and ethical conduct held in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Dr. Bello emphasized that the era of pleading ignorance regarding asset declaration is over.
“Asset declaration is not optional but an obligation that must be fulfilled by all public servants,” Bello stated. He urged the commission’s staff to complete their forms diligently to avoid being charged with wrongdoing, clarifying that the CCB’s role is not to victimize workers but to enforce transparency and professionalism.
A New Era of Accountability
In his remarks, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, aligned the commission’s current trajectory with President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda. He noted that the commission is undergoing a strategic shift from “transaction to transformation.”
Ogbuku revealed that the NDDC is already implementing a new Governance Advisory Report designed to consolidate performance and reposition the agency for greater impact in the Niger Delta.
“We are deepening our collective understanding of the Commission’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and code of conduct, which remain the foundation of our service delivery,” Ogbuku said. He added that the training would help staff identify past administrative errors that may have been committed unknowingly.
Strengthening Internal Systems
The NDDC boss maintained that the commission’s actions are strictly in line with Federal Government policies. He expressed confidence that the enlightenment programme would bolster internal cohesion and mutual accountability among the workforce.
Echoing this sentiment, the Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, represented by the Director of Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi Nwelue, described the session as a “reorientation to a new ideology of integrity.”
“We must be willing and ready to comply with the civil service rules, financial regulations, as well as other extant rules and laws in Nigeria,” Iyaye stated, urging staff to become champions of transparency at every level of the commission’s operations.
The event concludes a series of efforts by the current NDDC leadership to sanitize its internal processes and restore public confidence in the regional interventionist agency.
