…embroidery, 200 in livestock farming

— Says development can’t happen without peace

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA — Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, has said that between 2024 and 2025, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has trained and empowered about 630 Niger Delta women in fashion designing, embroidery, machine beading and stoning across the Niger Delta States.

The Minister also said that the commission trained and empowered over 200 Niger Delta women and youths in livestock farming and agro-processing and another 200 persons in fabrication and welding, and equipped them with tools and financial support.

Engr. Momoh stated the above in his remarks on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the NDDC in Rivers State at the weekend.

He said the occasion was not only a celebration of the Commission’s journey but also a reaffirmation of the collective commitment to the sustainable development and transformation of the Niger Delta region.

He explained that the commission was tasked to catalyze infrastructural and socio-economic development, act as a bridge between the federal government and host communities, and tackle the unique challenges facing oil-producing areas. Indeed, the creation of the NDDC was a bold step—a vision anchored in justice, equity, and inclusiveness.

“Over the past quarter-century, the NDDC has made significant progress in the area of Infrastrutre, Education and Health, skill acquisition and empowerment. In the life of this administration with me as Minister of Niger Delta Development and now as Minister of Regional Development, I have not only witnessed this progress, I have also supervised it.

“In area of Infrastructure, thousands of kilometres of roads, jetties, bridges and power stations have been completed. For example, last year a good number of legacy projects were completed and commissioned,” the Minister said.

According to him: “In 2024, the NDDC carried out free medical outreach in 11 communities treating a total of 32,308 patients. This has been the trend for the past ten years. In a similar vein, NDDC since 2010 has yearly engaged 200 foreign post graduate students on scholarship programme to develop human capacity in the region.

“Between 2024 and 2025, the NDDC has trained and empowered about 630 Niger Delta women in Fashion Designing, Embroidery, Machine Beading and Stoning across the Niger Delta States. Also trained and empowered over 200 Niger Delta Women and Youths in Livestock Farming and Agro-Processing and another 200 persons in Fabrication & Welding, and equipped them with tools and financial support.

“These achievements, while commendable, I am pleased to inform you that these are just a tip of the iceberg as the commission under the watch of the Ministry of Regional Development is poised at accelerating its developmental pace in the Region.

“The pathway to achieving this is to align our operations with Mr. President’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” built on eight core priorities—including economic reform, infrastructure, service delivery, and environmental sustainability— this provides a clear pathway for transformative development in the Niger Delta.”

He also said there would not be development in the region without peace.

Momoh said: “Development cannot happen without peace. We must address the root causes of conflict through equitable resource distribution and good governance.

Regional Strategy and Coordination: The Ministry of Regional Development has begun harmonizing all existing regional development plans to create a unified and coherent strategy, ending disjointed and overlapping interventions.

“To drive the region forward, we must stop working at cross-purposes. We need to institutionalize collaboration, mutual respect, and partnership between the Federal Government, state governments, the private sector, civil society, and international partners, like a true union of purpose. We must not work in silos. Let us draw inspiration from successful models of regional integration and collective development.”