NDDC Director, Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi Nwelue and the Director, Community and Rural Development, Engr. Theophilus Alagoa (middle), surrounded by traditional rulers and stakeholders, during the Stakeholders’ Forum on Public Infrastructure and Vandalism Prevention in Port Harcourt.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has urged traditional rulers, community leaders and residents across the Niger Delta to take ownership of public infrastructure in their communities and protect it from vandalism, theft and deliberate destruction.
The Commission warned that attacks on government-funded projects undermine development, increase maintenance costs and divert scarce resources that could have been used to execute new projects.
Speaking at a Stakeholders’ Forum on Public Infrastructure and Vandalism Prevention in Port Harcourt on Saturday, the Managing Director of NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said safeguarding public assets requires a collective commitment from host communities.
Represented by the Director of Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi Nwelue, Ogbuku stressed that while government has the responsibility of providing infrastructure, communities must see such projects as their own and ensure they are preserved.
“The aim of government is to focus on infrastructure, but after building, how do we protect it?” he asked.
“There is a need to create awareness and educate citizens that projects executed by government are the property of the community, and they should protect them,” he added.
He also encouraged residents to promptly report suspicious activities around public infrastructure to relevant authorities.
Also speaking, the NDDC Director of Community and Rural Development, Engr. Theophilus Alagoa, expressed concern over the increasing destruction of government facilities in communities, lamenting that many people failed to take responsibility for protecting projects intended to improve their lives.
“This event was organised to inform and educate everyone that government projects are our property, and it is imperative to take care of the investment,” he said.
Alagoa described vandalism, theft and the destruction of public infrastructure as acts of economic sabotage, warning that such crimes erode public resources, disrupt essential services and raise the cost of replacing damaged facilities.
He maintained that communities must play a more active role in safeguarding development projects to ensure they continue to deliver long-term benefits.
The facilitator of the forum, Mr Ibiyekaribo Inko-Tariah, urged participants to propose practical solutions to curb vandalism and theft, noting that the engagement formed part of the Commission’s broader efforts to secure government-funded infrastructure and ensure it continues to serve communities across the Niger Delta.