The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has commended the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Dr Samuel Ogbuku, for turning around the fortunes of the Niger Delta region and assured him that the legacies he would leave behind as Managing Director would outlive him.
Akpabio made the commendation at the 50th birthday celebration and unveling of two books authored by Dr Ogbuku in Abuja on Tuesday. He said with the advent of the administration of Dr Ogbuku, the region has had a new NDDC.
A statement by the Special Assistant to President of the Senate on Media/Communication, Anietie Ekong quoted Senator Akpabio to have said, “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,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu who was represented by the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun said the 50th birthday of the Managing Director of the NDDC was a celebration of a life of service, scholarship and achievement.
Two books authored by Dr Ogbuku, “Rethinking the Niger Delta” and “Strategies and Imperatives for Developing the Niger Delta” were unveiled.
The celebrant, Dr Ogbuku recounted his difficult upbringing and said he was happy to be alive to witness his 50th birthday celebration. He thanked everyone who had played a part in his leadership career from his days as a student leader through many political appointments to climax in his appointment as the Managing Director of the interventionist agency.
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