vi. vii. Lack of Commission-specific Standards and Specifications for Projects Overtrading in project and programme contract awards c. Stakeholders’ Engagement i. ii. iii. iv. v. Weak Stakeholders’ Engagement, lack of synergy and poor collaboration Inability to engage critical stakeholders for partnership Lack of implementation of the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan (NDRDMP) by all stakeholders in the Region High level of insecurity in the region hampering development of effective partnerships Non-alignment of the activities of the Commission to the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan d. Finance/Funding i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. Late passage of the budget likely to cause a relatively low budget performance Minimal funding by the Federal Government throughout the period under review Non-compliance with the provisions of the NDDC Act of 2000 in the funding of the Commission by all the contributing partners Delayed/Non-payment of contractors that had earned Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs) for work done Poor and inadequate funding of projects and programmes in the NDDC Budget largely due to the large number of budget line items Almost all projects being embarked upon by the Commission are solely funded by the Commission e. Terrain and Climatic conditions i. Due to the deltaic nature of the region, the construction of roads is very expensive compared with the upland areas of the country ii. The region presents the most difficult logistics challenges in the country and has made NDDC projects comparatively expensive iv. Budget and Project Performance and Challenges facing the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs The enormous sums of money spent on the oil-producing Niger Delta region by the Federal Government between 2009 and 2015 delivered very meager impact on the lives of the people of the area. According to the report of the Ministerial Technical Audit Committee on Contracts Awarded by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the Federal Government spent over N700billion on 427 contracts and achieved a measly 8 percent impact, indicating that it was money not well spent. The beneficiary states are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ondo, Edo, Imo, Rivers. The distribution of capital projects shows that contracts were awarded for canalization, electricity, food and cassava processing plants, housing schemes, land reclamation/shoreline protection, rehabilitation/remediation of oil-impacted sites, roads, skills acquisition centres and water schemes. 116