“If nothing else, the act of reaching a milestone often serves to reveal a superstar’s true nature.”
~ Stephen Rodrick
In the past 25 years, the Niger Delta Development Commission’s (NDDC) journey has been plagued by several challenges, including administrative issues, external forces and frequent changes of the Governing Boards. While the Commission has recorded some successes and achievements, there have been some constraints which have impeded the full performance of previous boards.
The current Board was appointed on August 29, 2023, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, the MD/CEO, Dr Samuel, had been on the saddle at the Commission’s headquarters since January 5, 2023, as a member of the previous board. A lot was and is still expected from the NDDC, especially with the promises of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu’s administration.
When Dr Samuel Ogbuku took over the helm of affairs at the NDDC, many thought he would probably underperform like some Managing Directors/administrators before him, since at the time it seemed like a herculean task. Little did they know that the President had appointed a man built for the job and ready for the task ahead. Dr Ogbuku swung into action, putting on his “thinking cap” and assembling critical stakeholders across the Niger Delta Region to help chart the new course of the Renewed Niger Delta Region.
Fast forward to the present day, the Renewed NDDC under Dr Ogbuku has shown that the Commission is determined to deliver milestone achievements. Little wonder it has now embarked on gigantic projects. Being at the helm of affairs of the NDDC comes with several challenges that must be tackled with creative thinking, which is why the NDDC under Dr Samuel Ogbuku employed a different approach with accountability and transparency as its watchwords. Hence, the ideology ” Transiting from Transaction to Transformation” has several milestone achievements to show.
One of the first milestones of the NDDC under Ogbuku was the restructuring of its administrative system by going back to the 13 Directorates recognised by the NDDC Act. This was done to ensure effective service delivery. The system was set up to establish a robust Corporate Governance structure that fosters accountability and transparency, alongside the development of clear and measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Another important milestone by the Ogbuku-led NDDC is the revamping of the Partners for Sustainable Development (PSD) Forum. This vital organ brings together representatives of federal and state governments of oil-producing states, youth, women leaders, traditional rulers, as well as the organised private sector, civil society, the mass media, and international development agencies such as the UNDP and the World Bank.
To provide alternative sources of funding for key development projects and programmes, the NDDC decided to embrace the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Consequently, a Management Committee on Public-Private Partnership was constituted by the Managing Director on January 18, 2023. One of the major benefits of the PPP model was the construction of the Ogbia-Nembe Road. The 27-kilometre road was constructed in partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).To further explore the possibilities of the PPP model, the Commission organised a PPP summit in April 2023.
Light Up Niger Delta Campaign is another glaring milestone of the Ogbuku-led administration. This Campaign involves the installation of solar-powered streetlights around the nooks and crannies of the Niger Delta Region, thereby bringing about a revolution in the way people work, live and do business at night around the region. It is also part of measures to fight criminality, boost socio-economic activities and enhance peace in the Niger Delta.
The NDDC collaborated with the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) to support Small and Medium Enterprises in the Niger Delta region. Last week, the NDDC & NDCCITMA released cheques worth N1.5 billion to 1,500 people to boost businesses in the Niger Delta region. This is evidently another milestone of the Ogbuku-led NDDC.
As regards Youth Empowerment, the NDDC launched its resource database system to create a comprehensive resource database of the youth population of the Niger Delta region, thereby offering employment/empowerment of the youths based on needs assessment, passion and status quo. Since the launch of the database system, several Niger Delta youths have been selected and empowered with different skills based on their qualifications and passions.
To further build the capacity of Niger Delta youths, the NDDC reviewed its “Scholarship programme”, and saw the need to kickstart the Local Post Graduate Scholarship Programme to run alongside the already existing foreign Scholarship programme. The Commission earlier this month engaged 600 successful candidates for its 2025/2026 Local Post Graduate Scholarship Programme, providing free Master’s degree tuition for them.
The Ogbuku-led NDDC understands the need to cut the cost of running state offices, which is why they prioritised building and completion of State office projects to ensure the Commission doesn’t pay outrageous rents for its state offices. Some months ago, the Cross River and Bayelsa State offices were completed and commissioned, and just last week, the Delta office was commissioned as well.
As regards security in the Niger Delta Region, the NDDC has gone into Partnership with all security agencies, Traditional institutions and Youth groups, ensuring unrest and social vices are at the barest minimum, which is evidently seen as Niger Deltans can’t remember the last time any form of protest was staged at the Commission’s headquarters unlike previous administrations which saw it as a norm.
The most recent milestone achievement of Dr Ogbuku is the completion of the Biggest Single Hostel in Nigeria, located in Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa State.
End Note:
It is said that when one is dancing, they can’t see how well they perform; rather, it is others who see and commend how well they dance. This is the case with Dr Samuel Ogbuku and the NDDC, as several Niger Deltans are commending the exceptional job they have done in the past couple of years.
The last has not been heard of the milestone achievement of the NDDC under Dr Samuel Ogbuku; it is visible even to the blind that the Dr Ogbuku-led NDDC will set and break new records.
Martins Ogolo
Public Affairs Analyst
martins.ogolo@yahoo.com
