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N/Delta groups applaud Tinubu for reappointing Ogboku as NDDC MD
Some Niger Delta groups at a joint world press conference on Monday in Abuja have commended President Bola Tinubu for reappointing Chief Samuel Ogboku as managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
The groups said President Bola Tinubu has come to change the old narratives of the negative image of the commission by reappointing the Managing Director who is also part and parcel of the struggle for the establishment of the Commission.
They likened the reappointment to those of the Service Chiefs and election of the principal officers of the National Assembly that show the evidence that the President stands for equity, justice and fairness.
They also said it shows Tinubu has a strong determination to run an all inclusive administration that will give all tribes, religions and sections in the country high senses of belonging.
Addressing newsmen at the event, the former spokesperson of PANDEF, HRH, Anab Sara-Igbe said the law that established NDDC set the board and the nanagement to stay for four years, unfortunately from inception till date no board had been able to complete its tenure. “That has greatly affected the commission in carrying our its mandate.
“Everybody will come and do his or her own and sometimes the Commission was used for political partronage and that was why the region agitated that a board should be set up for the commission to run fully.
“In 2022 the board was set with chief Samuel Ogboku as the Manging Director but unfortunately the same thing happened. We are lucky this time the man was spared to stay and run the place with others.
According to him, NDDC is a critical body and people fought for its establishment.
“This is the first time an activist who fought for the creation of NDDC was appointed to be the MD. Besides he is from an oil producing community and therefore he knows the impact of oil production, he knows the effect in the region for which this palliative was set up.
“He was the former secretary general of the Ijaw Youths Congress (IYC), so he has a grassroot relationship with most of the youths.
“The IYC cuts across Edo, Ondo, Bayelsa and Akwaibom and as the secretary General he has been to all the nooks and crannies of these region.
“He knows every part of the region. He knows that the region is down and the underdevelopment we have suffered and that is why his choice was unanimously accepted and endorsed by all the Niger Delta leaders, women, youths and elders.
“He is somebody who is humble, who relates with the youths, the women group, the elders also with chiefs and traditional rulers and so such a person can run the NDDC.
If he was removed like the former way of leadership in few months or years it would have affected the relationship between the Federal Government and the Niger Delta.
“So the President was wise enough to have taken this decision by ensuring that there is relationship between the Niger Delta Region and his Government because the economy of Nigeria is vested in the Niger Delta.
“If Niger Delta is working smoothly then the economy of Nigeria will be strong. We are happy with the President and we are ready to give him the necessary support because he has reappointed one of us as the MD of the NDDC who knows the problem and the people.
“I think he can do better and all the fears of political patronage will not be there.
“He wants to put his name on gold for everybody to see that yes we can. Niger Deltans can manage their affairs effectively and properly”
The National President of the Niger Delta Nonviolence Agitators Forum, Wisdom Oniekpar Ikiluli said since the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2000, this is one of the few moments that the people of the Niger Delta are feeling high sense of belonging because of the very strategic efforts of Chief Samuel Ogbuku who has shown strong determination to change the negative narratives about the interventionist agency.
“The strategic engagements and all inclusive leadership style of Chief Samuel Ogbuku has resulted to the prevalent Peace and Security that has made the Niger Delta region the safest in the country and this has to be sustained.
“But very importantly, Chief Samuel Ogbuku is from Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State where crude oil and gas were first discovered in commercial quantity and quality in 1956. Unfortunately, Ogbia is one of the most neglected and grossly underdeveloped areas in the country.
“It is ironical and unbelievable that this is the first time an Ogbia person has been appointed to head any of the interventionist agencies beginning from the Niger Delta Development Basin/Board to the Oil Mineral Producing Area Commission (OMPADEC) and now the NDDC.
The joint press conference was organised by, Niger Delta Civil Action Advocacy Group, Niger Delta Civil Action Advocacy Group (NDCAAG), Association of Waterways Ambassadors of Nigeria (AWAN), Movement For Oil and Solid Minerals Producing Communities (MOSMPC), Coastal People Consultative Council (CPCC), South South Community, Abuja (SSCA) and Niger Delta Nonviolence Agitators Forum (NDNAF).
Others are Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Abuja/Northern Nigeria Chapter, Southern People’s Foundtion (SPF), Ijaw Wari Workwide and Progressive Youth Leadership Foundation of Niger Delta (PYLFND)
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has commended Senator Basheer Lado, for redefining the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, stating that, for the first time in a long while, the office is fully meeting its expectations.
Speaking during his visit to the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters accompanied by distinguished senators, Akpabio described the visit as a significant step in strengthening Executive-Legislative relations.
He praised the Special Adviser and his team for maintaining the confidentiality of communications between the President and Senate, and also, ensuring a seamless flow of information. He further emphasized that the office is now more result-oriented.
Additionally, he acknowledged the office’s diligent efforts in tracking all Bills passed by the Senate and assented to by the President, underscoring its critical role in legislative efficiency.
Expressing his satisfaction, Akpabio noted that he and the Senate delegation were proud of the office’s achievements and looked forward to sustaining the existing cordial and productive relationship between the Executive and the Legislature throughout the administration.
In recognition of his exemplary leadership, Senator Lado presented an Award of Excellence to Senator Akpabio.
In his remarks, Senator Lado reaffirmed his commitment to fostering a harmonious working relationship between the Executive and the Legislature. He lauded Akpabio for his unwavering dedication to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda—defending it with clarity, articulating it with passion, and advancing it through legislative action.
Ahead of the 2025 political party Congresses, Plateau State Chapter of the Labour Party (LP) stakeholders has endorsed the defection of the candidate of the party in the 2023 general elections and the leader of Justice and Rebirth, Barr Gyang Zi SAN, to the All Progressive Congress (APC) with the view to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
They made the call in a communique issued at the end of the enlarge meeting of the stakeholders from Plateau North senatorial zone at the residence of Barr. Gyang Zi in Rayfield Jos.
The communique which was jointly signed by Dr. Ayiki Sati Director General, Justice and Rebirth and
Barr. Samuel Galadima- 2024 Chairmanship candidate of Jos East LGA among others said the call became imperative on the sideline of the leadership tussle at the National Level which violates the core principles and values for the formation of the Party as an alternative for Nigeria for the protection, sustenance of democracy and Social Justice.
They regretted that the leadership tussle has also divided the party into factions leaving party loyalists and supporters in the state of despondency and confusion not knowing where they belong.
Our correspondent reports that the gathering included LP candidates from the 2023/2024 general elections, party executives, and support groups from the six local government areas of the Northern Senatorial District.
Besides, the focus of the discussions was centered on the state of the Labour Party at both national and state levels and the need for political realignment ahead of the 2025 party congresses and conventions.
The stakeholders further frowned at the structural weaknesses in LP and resolved to advise Barr Gyang Zi, to leave the party and join the APC while expressing confidence that the APC would provide him with a platform to advance good governance in the state .
The communique also emphasized the importance of political consultations, particularly with APC leaders at both state and national levels. It called for collaboration with Plateau State APC leaders, including Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, Sen. Simon Bako Lalong, Sen. Diket Plang, and other party officials.
According to the communique, supporters of Barr Gyang Zi also pledged to mobilize grassroots support for the APC, stating that their leader’s defection would strengthen the party in the state.
They urged the APC leadership to formally receive Gyang Zi and his supporters into the party, marking their official transition from the Labour Party.
Stakeholders also reiterated the need for inclusive governance, ensuring that youths, women, and less privileged individuals are sidelined in the democratic process and accordingly officially denounced their membership in the Labour Party, declaring their support for the APC.
They assured that all LP structures aligned with Gyang Zi would follow suit, shifting their loyalty to the ruling party in the state and at the National level.
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has extended his heartfelt felicitation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on the occasion of his 73rd birthday.
Governor Ododo in statement signed by his special adviser on media, Ismaila Isah described President Tinubu as a statesman whose leadership and dedication to national development continue to inspire hope and progress across Nigeria.
He commended the President’s unwavering commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda, which is driving economic reforms, strengthening national unity, and advancing the nation’s democratic values.
“On behalf of the government and people of Kogi State, I celebrate Mr President and our father on this special day. Your resilience, visionary leadership, and patriotism have laid a strong foundation for Nigeria’s growth. We deeply appreciate your tireless efforts in repositioning our country for sustainable development,” Governor Ododo stated.
He further reaffirmed his support for President Tinubu’s administration and prayed for continued wisdom, strength, and good health for the President as he leads Nigeria toward greater prosperity, sustainable development, peace and stability.
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