An expert in development, Leesi Gborogbosi has availed the Federal Government of Nigeria some tips on how best to approach the development of the Niger Delta region.
Rivers State-born Gborogbosi, an ex-Shell staff, told BusinessDay in an interview that studies and reviews have revealed the best way to carry out the oil region’s development.
The CEO of Gabriel Domale Consulting (Management Consulting Firm), said: “To develop the Niger Delta, we will encourage collaborative and synergic relationships among the development institutions such as Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), etc.”
He said there should be a common by the development agencies which should be the pursuit of sustainable development and happiness.
Saying it is time to rethink the Niger Delta, the company growth expert who worked for Shell for 26 years in strategy, planning, budget, project management, finance, cost reduction, contracting boards, governance, risk management, compliance, and performance management, advised that getting the right answers to the question of the Niger Delta development would be a game-changer for the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He stated that the success of President Tinubu in the Niger Delta would have historical significance if he is able to address the persistent failures of development.
Gborogbosi, who has a doctorate in business administration (strategy), as well as a doctoral degree in business studies, said previous administrations at the federal and state levels of the Niger Delta failed because of what he called a lack of understanding of the question facing the Niger Delta people.
The certified management consultant and posited that the main question is should be on why there is absence of development.
He said; “The new focus should be to first define and have a clear understanding of what development means, and how development can be achieved.
“We must adopt globally tested and acceptable development mechanisms. He argued that the entire approach to the development of the Niger Delta is structurally defective with a poor operating model.”
He said there is no defined strategy, strategic plan, operations management, performance measures, stakeholders’ management, regulatory compliance, and drivers of development.
“The people of the Niger Delta must be made to be on the same page with regard to expected desired outcomes driven by a common understanding of what development of the Niger Delta requires.
“We must adopt long-term, mid-term, and short-term development approaches as an integrated strategic intent.”
Over the years, he went on, “Administrators in charge of the Niger Delta have been running around singing development concepts that have no globally researched foundations or relevance.
“We must avoid trying to develop the Niger Delta from intuition. Development must be approached from strategic thinking and global competitiveness.
“It is people who drive development; thus, people should be at the centre, not bridges. There must be a good understanding of how human capital development, economic activities, infrastructure, collaboration, open innovation, secured society, financial intermediation, and shared vision contribute to development.
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“We should domesticate global developmental practices. The Niger Delta is full of world-class technocrats and professionals with success stories in Nigeria and around the world. Why are they not being put in charge of development institutions?”
Gborogbosi, a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (London), and the Nigerian Institute of Management advised the Tinubu administration to place technocrats from the Niger Delta in charge of the region’s development institutions.
The expert in the oil and gas industry as well as a management consultant said the experts were willing to work with other professionals on a pro bono basis to craft the Niger Delta development strategy and implementation plan.
