The Niger Delta Development Commission’s Chairman of the Governing Board, Ms. Lauretta Onochie, has pleaded with the organization’s contractors for their patience, adding that management is working to resolve the issues that are preventing timely payment of outstanding invoices.
When a group from the NDDC Contractors’ Association paid Onochie a visit at the commission’s Port Harcourt offices, she made the appeal.
This was stated in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt on Tuesday and signed by the NDDC Director of Corporate Affairs, Dr. Ibitoye Abosede.
Onochie informed the contractors that in order to overcome the difficulties facing the interventionist agency, their help and collaboration were required.
She expressed concern that contractors who had finished their work had not yet been paid, but she also confirmed that a committee had been established by the commission to expedite the settlement of any verifiable outstanding obligations.
“One of the first things the board did after taking office was to explore for ways to deal with the problem of unpaid invoices,” she said. “Please give us some time. Give us a little more time so we can clean the house.”
“You are our partners in the development process,” Onochie reassured them, promising that they would no longer be ignored. “We need your help as partners in the development of the Niger Delta region.”
She applauded the contractors association’s leadership for their tenacity in standing up for their members.
“I am concerned when I learn about the backlog of debts owed to contractors. It is only right to pay contractors for the work they have completed.
“We’ve formed a committee to figure out how to pay the contractors.
To ensure that the NDDC serves the needs of the people, we require the cooperation of all stakeholders. Our goal is to maintain the region’s development in the Niger Delta,” she said.
Earlier, Mr. Joe Adia, the Chairman of the NDDC Contractors Association, declared that the organization’s members were significant players in the development of Nigeria’s oil-rich region.
“We are pleased that a new board has gained traction, he said. The contractors were experiencing trouble up to this point. We think that the new board’s arrival will result in changes for the NDDC. We are willing and prepared to collaborate with NDDC,” he stated.
Adia pleaded with the NDDC administration to consider the contractors when coming up with solutions.
He said that the organization will take whatever steps were required to help the commission see to it that all money owed to NDDC was paid.