A SPEECH BY AMBASSADOR DR. GODKNOWS-IGALI,-OONNATIONAL-CHAIRMAN,-PAN--NIGER-DELTA-FORUM-(PANDEF)-ON-NIGER-DELTA-INFRASTRUCTURE-DEVELOPMENT-FUND(NDIDF

A SPEECH BY AMBASSADOR DR. GODKNOWS IGALI, OON

NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, PAN- NIGER DELTA FORUM(PANDEF)

ON NIGER DELTA INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND

(NDIDF)

NIGER DELTA INVESTMENT SUMMIT

Port Harcourt, Rivers State

Monday, 14 September 2026

PUBLISHED BY WISDOM TIDE NEWS | SEPTEM3IBER 17, 2026

Let me begin by expressing, most sincerely, our collective congratulations to the organisers of this conference, particularly the Board and Management of the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce,

Industry Trade Mines and Agriculture, and all the other stakeholders whose vision and

commitment have made this important event possible.

On behalf of PANDEF, I commend the thoughtfulness in putting together an event of this scale and magnitude, which focuses on showcasing the potentials and opportunities in the Niger Delta.

It is quite pleasing that our focus today is not again to go on a journey of lamentations about what

we have not been able to achieve in the Niger Delta, or what our lost opportunities have been, but

rather to pursue affirmative action directed at bringing to the fore the abundant opportunities which exist around us, in order to promote productive engagement, investment and wealth creation.

It is on this premise that I bring the greetings of all our leaders and people across the different

parts of the Niger Delta. Gladly, several of our leaders, members of our Board of Trustees, traditional rulers and top political leaders are here present with us and bear witness to the sentiment which I have expressed.

THE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE

Let me state that successive administrations in Nigeria, as well as governments and institutions

within the Niger Delta, have responded to our developmental challenges through statutory

allocations, derivation-based fiscal transfers and various intervention programmes. These measures and interventions have undoubtedly taken us to where we are today, and we acknowledge the efforts that have been made over the years.

However, they have not been able to bring about the level of substantial infrastructural development required, nor have they radically transformed our societies into extensively productive economies. As a matter of fact, these measures, including those undertaken by our various state governments, have not enabled us to adequately harness our huge natural resources.

We are still largely known for our crude oil production. Yet, the Niger Delta is endowed with enormous opportunities in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, maritime activities, manufacturing, energy, technology and other productive sectors. Accordingly, several gaps still exist, and we must take radical and deliberate actions to correct them. I believe that is one of the reasons why we are here today.

Beyond this has been the woeful situation whereby even the resources with which God has blessed us are not yielding maximum value to us as a region. On the contrary, our oil and gas resources, as well as our agricultural potentials, have not been sufficiently harnessed to create the opportunities and prosperity that they should provide for our people.

Indeed, we must acknowledge that opportunities exist for persons from other parts of the country and their corporate partners to participate in the economic life of the Niger Delta. But the central question is whether we, as a region, are doing enough to create the structures, enterprises and investment platforms through which our own people can participate meaningfully and derive lasting value.

What this shows is that there is a serious development paradox, and that the existing interventions and measures, important as they are, have serious limitations. We therefore need to complement them with new and innovative mechanisms for mobilising capital and delivering development.

WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?

The question, then, is: what do we need to do?

Rather than going into a pity party and embarking on another journey of complaints, what is needed at this time is action-action that is strategic, intentional, disciplined and focused.

It is against this backdrop that, under my leadership, PANDEF has come up with the idea of the establishment of a special-purpose vehicle to be known as the Niger Delta Infrastructure and Development Fund (NDIDF).

THE NIGER DELTA INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT FUND (NDIDF)

This is expected to be a dedicated, professionally governed, capital-market-anchored financing vehicle designed to mobilise long-term domestic and international capital for the transformation of the region.

The Fund is conceived as a blended-finance platform that aggregates resources from the people of the Niger Delta, multinational partners, diaspora investors and the capital market. The intention would be to deploy those resources into a disciplined pipeline of bankable, transformational projects selected through a transparent, professional and properly validated process.

The NDIDF is not envisaged as a replacement for existing institutions. Rather, it is designed as a complementary capital-aggregation and project-delivery vehicle that can crowd in private capital and accelerate development.

It will ensure that every naira raised is responsibly invested, traceable and directed towards projects that create enduring value for the people of the region. The people of the region themselves, through appropriate representation on its governing structures, must remain critical to this process.

WHY THIS APPROACH, AND WHY NOW?

As you will all agree with me, we do not have another option than to go this route, because Nigeria's public finances are facing competing demands across different sectors and the fiscal envelope is constrained.

On the contrary, the global capital markets are seeking impact-aligned opportunities, which we offer in abundance in our region. What is required is to create the professional structure that can connect these opportunities with the capital that is available.

Indeed, there has never been a more important time, despite what some may see as shrinking global opportunities, to position a resource-rich region such as ours to attract blended financing. The opportunity exists; what we need is the discipline, governance and preparation to take advantage of it.

THIS WILL NOT BE A WHITE-ELEPHANT PROJECT

Let me be very clear that this is not going to be a white-elephant project.

In the past one year, we have consulted widely, especially with our private-sector stakeholders. We have also been in close touch with our diaspora community, and their response has been encouraging. They have expressed interest and expectations that the initiative should take off from this stage and move into a properly structured implementation process.

This idea has also been presented to the South-South Governors' Forum, and we will continue to engage the relevant stakeholders as we move forward.

I thank our brother, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria, Dr. Emomotimi Agama, who has shown great enthusiasm for this initiative and for efforts aimed at deepening Nigeria's capital market and mobilising long-term investment.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT

The Fund will be constituted through an appropriate trust deed and other necessary legal instruments, with nominees from the respective state governments, leading private-sector operators, professional fund managers and other relevant stakeholder groups.

The actual Fund will have a Board of Trustees appointed on a non-partisan basis from the private sector and other relevant stakeholder groups. The purpose is to ensure that the governance of the Fund is credible, professional, independent and focused on its objectives.

As stated earlier, the fund managers will be highly professional and will be selected on the basis of competence, integrity, experience and proven capacity to manage capital responsibly.

The Fund will have very close relationships with existing institutions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce and Industry, BRACED-related institutions, established companies and other strategic partners.

Although the Fund is being promoted by PANDEF, we the south-south chambers of commerce will only play its appropriate strategic and facilitative role and allow the Fund to operate

Summit independently. The private sector will play the leading role in the investment and commercial

aspects of the initiative.

NEXT STEPS

PANDEF expects to organise a high-level dinner before the end of the year, at a suitable location

in Lagos, Port Harcourt or Abuja, to present its plans to selected stakeholders and prospective

partners.

This engagement will obviously lead to the formation of an advisory committee made up of

credible professionals and representatives of relevant stakeholder groups.

Thereafter, following the conclusion of all necessary legal instruments and other preparatory

arrangements, the Fund will be formally established and the necessary provisions made for it to

take off.

A CALL TO COLLECTIVE ACTION

I therefore want to thank you all for listening and invite you to be part of this historic effort.

At this critical time, when we are still the catchment area and one of the principal economic

engines of the country, let us be wise enough to save and invest for the rainy days. As already

mentioned in the course of this summit, we are more than oil and gas.

We must be ready to make critical investments for the future, if for nothing else, for the sake of

our children and grandchildren. The wealth of the Niger Delta must not merely be consumed

today; it must be converted into productive assets, institutions and opportunities that will continue

to create value for generations to come.

The biggest sovereign wealth funds in the world were built through deliberate efforts to mobilise

resources, save, invest and create institutions capable of preserving wealth for future generations.

Let us therefore join in this effort and be part of building a stronger and more prosperous Niger

Delta.

This is a collective responsibility. Government, the private sector, traditional institutions,

development partners, our diaspora and the people of the Niger Delta must all play their respective roles. If we work together with discipline, transparency and a shared sense of purpose, we can turn the enormous potential of our region into sustainable investment, employment and prosperity.

CONCLUSION

I thank you once more, ladies and gentlemen, for your kind attention and for your commitment to

the development of our region.

I urge all of us to see this initiative not merely as the creation of another fund, but as an

opportunity to establish a new culture of investment, partnership and long-term thinking in the

Niger Delta.

Let us move from dependence to investment; from consumption to production; and from the

exploitation of resources to the creation of lasting wealth.

Let us seize this moment and build a future in which the resources of the Niger Delta become the foundation for sustainable prosperity for our people and for generations yet unborn.

May God bless the Niger Delta, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

AMBASSADOR DR. GODKNOWS BOLADEI IGALI, OON

National Chairman, Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF)