The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Samuel Ogbuku (PhD), has appealed to those who have the interest of the Niger Delta at heart to help him to focus on meeting the mandate of his office than distracting him with talks of governorship contest in his home state, Bayelsa.
Ogbuku thus pledged to focus on serving the people of the Niger Delta region as mandated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director of Corporate Affairs of the Commission, the MD was speaking during a radio programme in Yenagoa. She said the CEO dismissed insinuations that he was planning to contest the governorship election in Bayelsa State in 2027.
He declared: “I don’t have any ticket to contest the governorship of Bayelsa State in 2027. The only ambition I have is to serve the people of Niger Delta and President Bola Tinubu for the four years term given to me. If I should have any ambition, it is to re-elect President Tinubu in 2027.”
Addressing the reported misunderstanding between him and Gov Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, Ogbuku clarified: “I don’t have any problem with my good friend, His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri. We have good relations even now, and I can tell you that the Governor has been supportive and proven to be a father to all.”
The NDDC boss stated that the recent visit of the Commission’s Executive Management members to the Bayelsa State Governor strengthened their collaboration, noting that it was geared towards ensuring synergy between the Commission and state governments.
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Ogbuku advised Bayelsans to avoid unnecessary criticism, name-calling and blame games, as these defeat the aim of enriching collaboration between the Commission and state governments.
He said what would give him the greatest joy was to see all Bayelsans in different positions working together.
Ogbuku observed that Niger Deltans were confronted by the same environmental challenges which needed to be tackled holistically. He said this informed the recent commencement of the channelisation of Kolo Creek, connecting the Okarki-Otuogidi-Ogbia communities of Rivers and Bayelsa states.
He explained that the project would remove all the blockages causing flooding in the communities in both states, adding that it would not only prevent flooding but also boost commercial activities in the communities.
Ogbuku also noted that the NDDC was constructing six multi-purpose emergency shelters in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states to provide relief to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the event of flooding in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking on collaborations with other organisations, Ogbuku noted that the NDDC had made significant gains since it embraced Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a major policy thrust.
He recalled that between May 18 and May 28, 2024, the NDDC commissioned five major development projects across the Niger Delta region including the 9km Obehie-Oke-Ikpe Road in Ukwa West LGA, Abia State; the 27.5-kilometre Ogbia -Nembe Road, constructed in partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC; the 1×15MVA 33/11KV electricity injection substation in Amufi, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area in Benin City, Edo State and many others.
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