NDDC  : Samuel Ogbuku’s achievements will stand the test of time – Akpabio

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has praised the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, for transforming the fortunes of the oil-rich region, declaring that his accomplishments at the commission will endure long after his tenure.

Akpabio spoke in Abuja on Tuesday during the celebration of Dr. Ogbuku’s 50th birthday and the public presentation of two books authored by the NDDC chief. According to him, the agency has witnessed a remarkable turnaround under Ogbuku’s leadership.

A statement by the Senate President’s Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Anietie Ekong, quoted Akpabio as saying: “The Managing Director has done a very difficult job well. It is not easy to manage the Niger Delta. It is not easy to manage the NDDC.

“When I was a Governor, I recall taking over from the NDDC the road that comes from the Qua Iboe terminal where Nigeria gets a lot of oil production in Ibeno coming to Eket. NDDC gave that road to one Contractor for 11 years and nothing was done.

“That was the lot of NDDC but 11 years after, I took over the road and instead of one lane I dualized it with four bridges. NDDC was known for doing shoddy jobs. NDDC was a place where people will sit down in hotels and write names of creeks and rivers and award contracts for desilting. Some of the Contractors never even visited the rivers but got paid.

“For us to celebrate Dr. Ogbuku today it is not mere celebration of attaining the golden age, but we are celebrating God’s goodness to the people of the Niger Delta through the management of NDDC today. He has turned around the fortunes of the Niger Delta region in two years.

“The National Assembly is very proud of Dr. Ogbuku. We are very proud of what he is doing in the NDDC. We are saying he is 50 years today, but God Almighty will keep him for another 50 years.

“I also want to congratulate the Board of the NDDC, the most peaceful board so far. It has been two years of impactful leadership, two years of focus, two years of collaboration and two years of showing strength in leadership. The MD will not be remembered for this celebration but the legacies he would leave behind for the good people of the Niger Delta.”

On his part, President Bola Tinubu, represented by Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, described Ogbuku’s milestone birthday as a tribute to “a life of service, scholarship and achievement.”

At the event, Dr. Ogbuku unveiled his two new books, Rethinking the Niger Delta and Strategies and Imperatives for Developing the Niger Delta.

Reflecting on his journey, the celebrant spoke of his humble beginnings and expressed gratitude for reaching 50, thanking all who had supported his rise from student activism to leading the interventionist agency.