Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has inaugurated a committee set up to look into some prevailing staff matters in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Akpabio, while inaugurating the committee in his office in Abuja, said the development was to ensure optimal performance by ensuring that all issues slowing down productivity and hindering peace in the commission are resolved.

“The commission will be rejigged to deliver on its mandate for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta.”The minister said that over the years, the NDDC had witnessed varying degrees of challenges, especially in the management of the human resource that had led to low morale and dwindling performance of the staff of the commission.

According to him, these challenges have affected the activities and productivity of staff of the commission, with continuous bickering and complaint amongst the management and staff.

Akpabio stressed that for the Niger Delta to develop, the NDDC must be rightly positioned to deliver on its mandate. He explained that it was to this end that the committee was set up to examine all prevailing staff matters in the NDDC with a view to resolving them.

Members of the committee were drawn from both the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA) and the NDDC, with the Director, Community Development and Education in the ministry, Mrs. Lauren Briade as chairman, and Director, Human Resources Management, Mr. Musa Dakas, as secretary.

Other members are Stella Aburime, MNDA; Mr. Alfred Abah, MNDA; Mr. Effiong Akwa, NDDC; Mrs. Iyingi Numbere, NDDC; Mr. Okejoto Goshua, NDDC; Mr. Eno Ubi, NDDC and Mr. Patrick Ekade, NDDC. The committee is expected to examine the remote and immediate causes of placement of some staff on compulsory leave, among other issues.