Niger Delta ex-agitators and other critical stakeholders have warned that the ongoing pull-down campaign against the Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, will only take the region backwards.
Rising from their emergency meeting in Port Harcourt at the weekend, they called on traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the region to rally round Ogbuku and protect him from what they described as an orchestrated conspiracy to bring him down.
Speaking after the meeting, the Pioneer National Secretary of First Phase Ex-Agitators, and the Spokesman of the Critical Ex-agitators Stakeholders Coalition in the Niger Delta (CESCND), Nature Dumale Kiegha, said it was high time the region stopped waging a war against itself insisting that a house divided against itself, can never stand.
Kiegha said that Ogbuku remained the only NDDC managing director in the history of the commission that had established the culture of undertaking a need assessment process before executing projects in the region.
He named the project light up Niger Delta as one of the products of the Ogbuku’s developmental revolution, which he said for the first time benefited people at the grassroots.
He said such project had given people in rural communities a sense of belonging and had helped in tackling cultism, kidnapping and other criminal activities in the region.
Kiegha said: “We cannot continue to live our lives with the pulling down syndrome. We cannot continue to fight ourselves and expect meaningful development. These stones that are thrown against the Managing Director of NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku are uncalled for.
“This is the time for all the traditional rulers, political leaders and critical stakeholders to rally round him and support him with all the encouragement he needs to be able to keep executing laudable projects in the Niger Delta region.
“Dr Samuel Ogbuku is the only MD that has instituted the culture of carrying out needs assessment before embarking on projects and that is why the project light-up Niger Delta became a landmark project in the history of the NDDC. That project has given people at the grassroots a sense of belonging. It is the first time the Niger Delta people in the rural areas are benefiting from the interventionist projects of NDDC.
“Besides, in today’s NDDC under the leadership of Samuel Ogbuku people are getting their payments as at when due. The M.D is making very good use of the resources he is receiving.
So, we should stop this habit of pulling down ourselves. some are envious that during their time they couldn’t do what the current MD is doing. The only thing we owe Ogbuku is to encourage him”.
Kiegha called on the Niger Delta stakeholders to support others in leadership because tomorrow might be their turn and commended Ogbuku for remaining focused amidst unprovoked attacks from detractors.
“Ogbuku has refused to be distracted, that is why strategic stakeholders of the Niger Delta region need to put our voices in this matter. Why are we accusing him for things he didn’t do; what do we intend to achieve?” He queried.
Kiegha recalled that in the third quarter of 2024 alone, the NDDC under Ogbuku completed a total of 311 projects across the nine states in the region including roads and bridges, renewable energy, housing facilities, water supply, electricity among others.
He said under Ogbuku, the commission had engaged more youths in meaningful ventures through Project Hope; reactivated and expanded the scholarship scheme of the commission; kick-started massive agricultural revolution to make the region a food hub of the nation among other initiatives.
He said: “This is the first time in the history of NDDC where almost every state in the the Niger Delta region has a beautiful NDDC office for faster and more effective representation of the Niger Delta people, It has never happened before in the history of NDDC. So, why won’t we rally round this man and support him?
“At what point are we going to know that the enemies of this region always want to divide and rule us? But when we resist the enemy and remain united, we become stronger and achieve greater things”.
Kiegha appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore mischief makers known for their penchant in causing division and instigating crisis in the region for their selfish interest.
He said: “Mr President, thank you for the support you have given to our brother, our leader, Dr Samuel Ogbuku. He has done very well and we appeal to you to continue to give him all the support he needs because he has changed the narrative and dynamics of the NDDC”.
