The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has presented a proposed ₦1.75 trillion budget for the 2025 fiscal year to the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on NDDC at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The proposal was submitted to the Senate Committee on NDDC, chaired by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and the House Committee on NDDC, led by Hon. Ibori-Suenu Erhiatake.
Presenting the budget, NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the 2025 appropriation, themed “Budget of Consolidation,” builds on the achievements recorded under the 2024 Budget of Renewed Hope.
In a statement signed by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, on Wednesday, Ogbuku explained that the new budget reflects the Commission’s deliberate shift from transactional interventions to transformational development, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ogbuku expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the confidence reposed in the current NDDC management and acknowledged the Supervising Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, for providing strategic direction to the Commission.
He said the improving credibility and public perception of the NDDC were the result of synergy among the Commission’s Board and Management, the Ministry of Regional Development, and the National Assembly, adding that legislative oversight remained a partnership rooted in accountability, transparency, and measurable impact.
Ogbuku noted that the proposed 2025 estimate represents a 9 per cent reduction from the ₦1.985 trillion proposed and appropriated for the 2024 fiscal year.
He informed the Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong-led committee that the ₦1.75 trillion budget is expected to be funded from several sources. These include ₦776.5 billion from the Federal Government, ₦752.8 billion from oil companies, ₦109.4 billion in revenue brought forward from 2024, ₦53.67 billion in recoveries from federal government agencies, and ₦8.35 billion from internally generated revenue.
A breakdown of the proposal showed that ₦1.631 trillion was earmarked for project execution across the Niger Delta region, while ₦223 billion was allocated to internal projects of the Commission.
Personnel cost was pegged at ₦47.56 billion, while ₦49.929 billion was set aside for overhead expenditure.
Speaking on the performance of the 2024 budget, Ogbuku told the committee that as of October 31, 2025, the Commission’s actual revenue stood at ₦1.985 trillion, surpassing the initial target of ₦1.911 trillion.
He attributed the improved revenue performance mainly to the extension of the 2024 budget implementation through December 31, 2025.
The Managing Director also disclosed that the Commission has discontinued line-item budgeting in favour of sector-based allocations, a move he said was designed to reduce project delays and improve operational efficiency.
Following the presentation, the committees held a closed-door session with NDDC management to scrutinise the budget proposal alongside reports on ongoing and completed projects across the Niger Delta.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Senate Committee Chairman, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, announced that the committee would conduct a comprehensive oversight tour of NDDC projects in the nine Niger Delta states in January 2026.
He said the committee, while critically reviewing project reports during the closed session, resolved to verify the claims through physical inspection of projects on the ground.
“At the closed-door session, critical looks were taken at ongoing and completed projects by the commission, and the committee resolved to carry out an extensive oversight tour across the nine Niger Delta states in January next year,” Ekpenyong said.
He added that although the NDDC recorded notable project delivery in the outgoing fiscal year, expectations remained high for improved performance in the coming year, particularly in ensuring value for money and timely project completion.
Similarly, the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC stated that the Commission’s proposed ₦1.75 trillion 2025 budget must translate into tangible development outcomes for communities across the Niger Delta.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, gave the assurance during the budget defence session, warning that lawmakers would not treat the proposal as a routine legislative exercise.
According to her, the budget represents renewed hope and opportunity for millions of people in the oil-producing region and must be people-centred, transparent, and aligned with national development priorities.
She added that while the committee commended the Commission’s ongoing reform efforts, legislative support would be tied strictly to performance and verifiable results on the ground.
