A renowned political economist and Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and
Political Science, Dr. Uche Igwe has underscored the importance of private sector participation
in the development of the Niger Delta region.
Igwe dropped this hint on his arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos on his arrival for the forthcoming Niger Delta Public-Private Participation (PPP) Summit scheduled to hold in Lagos on the 25th of April at Eko Hotel and Suites.
According to him the level of infrastructural deficit in the Niger Delta has become utterly
embarrassing and a state of emergency need to be declared. After the devastating impact of
the flooding last year, many roads including the East-West Road were washed away. It will take
billions of naira to fix. Without excusing the government, this is a time for the private sector to
come into a partnership to rescue the situation, he noted.
He further highlighted the unavoidable implication of energy transition due to climate
change has led to fossil fuel companies divesting away from their traditional areas of oil and gas
and also moving away to deep offshore locations. These developments, according to him have
implications of the revenue flow of organisations like the Niger Delta Development
Commission(NDDC) whose funding is partly derived from the budget of fossil fuel companies
operating in the region.
“Such agencies need to urgently reform themselves by thinking smart
and seeking innovative partnerships in order to remain financially resilient to sustainably
deliver on their mandate”, he stated.
Dr. Igwe commended the executive management of NDDC led by Dr. Samuel Ogbuku for
putting together the summit and expressed optimism that it will set the stage for generating
the necessary interest among private sector operators in the country and beyond to come and
partner to close the infrastructural gaps in the region. Engr Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary
of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board will be providing a keynote speech
at the event.
The summit will be featuring other prominent international experts including Mr.
Oliver Everett, former Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment
Council, Johnson Kilangi, Co-Chair of the PPP Finance Forum, and Janita Ferentinos among
others.
