The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has said that they are not owing security workers engaged by the commission.
Director, Corporate Affairs, NDDC, Pius Ughakpoteni who stated this in a statement while reacting to media reports of the planned protest by the security workers said companies engaged by the agency for security services have been paid up to July as against the six months alleged in the report.
He there was no need for the protest as the contract signed with the security companies have a clause stating that they must have capacity to pay their workers for atleast two months in case of any delay in the release of funds by the commission.
The statement assured the workers that monies meant for them were not diverted to other ventures ad further appealed to the workers and Niger Deltans to engage in dialogue for the resolution of any dispute and not always resorting to protest.
The statement reads in full:
“The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is aware of reports in the media claiming that Security workers of the Commission are threatening to carry out a peaceful protest over non-payment of their monthly salaries.
“We wish to state that the Commission engages Security Companies that hire and pay security guards to work at our various offices to safeguard our facilities. These service providers are certainly not being owed for six months as alleged in the media reports.
“The Security companies for Delta and Rivers state offices, mentioned in the reports, have been paid up to July as at August 22, 2023. Hence, there is no basis for them to owe their workers arrears of salaries, especially as the contract they signed with NDDC has a clause that states that they must have the capacity to pay their staff for at least two months in the event of any delay from the Commission.
“We want to assure the security workers that monies meant for payment of their salaries were not diverted to other businesses as being alleged. We, therefore, urge them to disabuse their minds of the misinformation in the media.
It is necessary to add that the Commission has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for corrupt practices. Any member of the public who has any evidence of such practices should reach out to the Commission for prompt action.
“May we remind our fellow Niger Delta brothers that the threat to protest at the Commission’s offices is no longer tenable, as genuine stakeholders in the Niger delta region have since embraced peaceful engagements since the emergence of the Dr Samuel Ogbuku-led management team.
“It is noteworthy that within a very short period of time, the Management team has laid the foundation for the rapid economic development of the region and put in place an enduring and sustainable governance structure for the effective operations of the Commission.
“We re-state that entrenching the tenets of accountability and transparency in our activities forms part of the thrust of the new Management.
“We assure our stakeholders and members of the public that the NDDC Management will not be distracted in its resolve to do things differently and make a difference in the Niger Delta”.
