Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
A former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson, has lauded the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, for embarking on massive road electrification projects in Bayelsa.
Dickson, representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, spoke at Ayakoro community, Ogbuku’s home town in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, during the 2024 edition of the community’s annual cultural festival, the Eyal Obeyin.
He noted that the developmental footprints recorded by Ogbuku in the community speaks volumes of the benefits of having a son who knows what to do and urged states in the Niger Delta region to partner the NDDC to fast track the development of the oil-rich region.
Dickson said he was impressed with the performance of the NDDC under the leadership of Ogbuku, noting that the managing director and his team have demonstrated capacity and love for the Niger Delta region in terms of projects execution and policies implementation.
“I want to thank Ogbuku for remembering that he came from a place. The projects I’ve seen in this community and other parts of the Niger Delta, including my home town, especially the solar powered lights and others clearly show that Ogbuku knows where he came from. It shows that he’s completely linked with his people at home, ” he stated.
In his keynote address, Ogbuku, who was the Special Guest of Honour, said the development imprints etched in the community was made possible by the peaceful nature of the people of Ayakoro who created the enabling environment for contractors to work.
He stated that peace and development go together and advised communities in Niger Delta region to cooperate with contractors to work, while assuring that the NDDC would not allow contractors to deny communities their rightful benefits.
Ogbuku said the commission under his stewardship was committed to ensuring that projects awarded and executed by the commission have direct impacts on the benefiting communities.
He said the era of stalled projects was over, noting however, that the commission would no longer condone a situation where communities act as encumbrances to contractors handling NDDC projects in their areas.
Ogbuku promised to support the Eyal Obeyin Annual Festival in order to promote tourism development in the community and the entire Niger Delta.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Paramount Ruler of Ayokoro, HRH Righteous Inegbagha, commended the founding fathers and the present generation of the community for their resilience and dedication to the growth and development.
