The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has tasked the board and management of the South South Development Commission (SSDC) on carrying out developmental projects that will impact on the living standard of the people of the region while furthering the renewed hope agenda of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Senator Akpabio gave the charge when the board of the new Commission paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday in Abuja. He said the Commission is saddled with a lot of responsibilities to develop the South South and contribute to the economic development of the six States of the region.

A statement by the Special Assistant to the President of the Senate on Media/Communication, Anietie Ekong quoted Senator Akpabio to have said: "The ball is now in your court to add value to the South South region through this development Commission.

"You have a lot of responsibilities to develop the region. I want you to know that it is not a bonanza. It is a call to service. It is a call to put on your thinking cap to add value to the economy of the nation, to add value to the renewed hope agenda of the President who set up this Commission.

"I congratulate the President and I thank him for finding it necessary to give us the South South Development Commission. They say, one good turn deserves another.

"The Niger Delta has been good to Nigeria. We have kept the economy of the nation going and so giving us this opportunity to further develop other resources in the Niger Delta is also evidence that Nigeria also cares about us," he said.

Akpabio thanked members of the two chambers of the National Assembly for passing the bill of the SSDC into law despite the initial hesitation because the region already had the Niger Delta Development Commission but assured that the mandate of the SSDC goes beyond the oil producing areas to cover every nook and cranny of the South South region.

He pledged the support of the National Assembly towards adequate funding of the development commissions across the six geo-political zones.

According to Akpabio, "We shall continue to support you to fully take off and execute big projects that we shall come and commission. We will support you to make sure you are adequately funded. You can count on me, my office and my colleagues. We will support you to succeed."

The Chairman of the board of the Commission, Prince Chibudom Nwuche, thanked President Tinubu, the Senate President and the National Assembly for their efforts in passing the SSDC bill into law despite the challenges and difficulties. He said with the caliber of persons appointed into the management and board the SSDC will add value to the nation.

"Under my leadership as Chairman, I assure you that we shall keep faith in executing the core mandate of this Commission. We will work closely with you and the Senate and listen to guidance from our stakeholders. We will avoid the mistakes of the past and make sure our people feel the impact of governance," he said.

The pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission Ms Usoro Akpabio, praised the visionary leadership of Senator Akpabio and the Senate in birthing the Commission and promised that the interventionist agency will carry out regional economic drive across the entire six states of the region.

According to Ms Akpabio the vision of the Commission cuts across human capital development and infrastructural renewal in the region. "This Commission will align with other sister development agencies, and work with the states while we carry out our own independent mandate. We will unlock the potentials and the stranded wealth of the South South people.

"Ours is to be a role model for other developmental agencies in Nigeria because we will carry out sustainable development for the people. We will unlock the potentials of the South South people and at the same time we will use the opportunity bring out a lot of talents in the region across all sectors," she assured.

•PHOTO: Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the South South Development Commission, Ms Usoro Akpabio, addressing Senate President Akpabio during the visit