NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye (4th right), flanked by the Director of Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi Nwelue (5th right), and the Director, Finance and Accounts, Dr Kunemofa Asu (3rd right), during the inauguration of the Committee for Negotiation and Review of the Staff Terms and Conditions of Service at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has inaugurated a committee to review the terms and conditions of service of its employees, in a move aimed at improving staff welfare, strengthening industrial harmony and enhancing service delivery across the Niger Delta region.
The committee, comprising representatives of management and the NDDC Staff Union, was inaugurated yesterday at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, said the review was necessary to establish a structured and harmonious working environment in which the rights and obligations of both employees and management are clearly defined.
Iyaye described the terms and conditions of service as the framework governing the relationship between an organisation and its workforce, noting that clearly defined provisions were essential for protecting staff benefits and ensuring accountability.
“Without a contract, organisations cannot function effectively. If there are no conditions of service, people will not be guided properly; management could decide to remove staff benefits, and nobody would question it,” he said.
He urged members of the committee to undertake a comprehensive, clause-by-clause review of the existing conditions of service, correcting omissions and addressing areas that no longer reflect the realities of the commission and its workforce.
According to him, the exercise should not be driven by individual interests but by the broader objective of strengthening the NDDC as an institution.
“This exercise is fundamentally about negotiation and finding a balance that will benefit both the workforce and the organisation,” Iyaye said.
He cautioned the committee against rushing the process, urging members to study relevant provisions thoroughly and benchmark the NDDC’s conditions of service against those of comparable government agencies and other organisations.
Iyaye also stressed the need for the review to comply with prevailing government regulations, noting that the NDDC operates within a broader public-sector framework.
He, however, reminded the committee that improved staff welfare must be balanced with the commission’s statutory responsibility to promote sustainable development in the Niger Delta.
“Our mandate first is to the people of the Niger Delta and how to sustain the development of the region. While negotiating the benefits of staff, also know that we have a mandate to achieve, which is to ensure the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region,” he said.
Earlier, the Director of Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi Nwelue, commended the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, for approving the establishment of the review committee.
Nwelue described the inauguration as a significant step towards ensuring that the commission’s staff policies and conditions of service remain fair, relevant and responsive to the changing needs of its workforce.
He said periodic reviews were essential to reflect current realities, organisational requirements and applicable regulations, adding that a motivated workforce was critical to the effective implementation of the NDDC’s mandate.
Nwelue urged members of the committee to approach the assignment with integrity, patience, commitment and a spirit of cooperation.
Members of the committee include the Director of Administration and Human Resources, who serves as chairman; the Director of Finance and Accounts; Director of Internal Audit; Director of Planning, Research and Statistics; Director of Legal Services; NDDC Staff Union Chairman and Secretary; and other representatives from various departments of the commission.
The review is expected to provide an updated framework for staff welfare and employment conditions while ensuring that the commission remains focused on its development mandate across the Niger Delta.