Senate President Godswill Akpabio has paid glowing tribute to the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, describing his leadership as transformational and destined to leave lasting legacies.
Speaking at Ogbuku’s 50th birthday celebration and book launch in Abuja on Tuesday, Akpabio said the NDDC under his stewardship has broken away from its troubled history.
“The Managing Director has done a very difficult job well. It is not easy to manage the Niger Delta or the NDDC,” Akpabio remarked in a statement by his media aide, Anietie Ekong. “Celebrating Dr. Ogbuku is not just about his golden age, but about God’s goodness to the Niger Delta through his leadership. He has turned around the fortunes of the region in just two years.”
The Senate President, who recalled years of abandoned and poorly executed projects in the region, praised the current board as “the most peaceful so far,” adding that Ogbuku “will not be remembered for this celebration but for the legacies he leaves behind for the people of the Niger Delta.”
President Bola Tinubu, represented by Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, also lauded Ogbuku, describing his life as one of “service, scholarship, and achievement.”
At the ceremony, two books authored by Ogbuku—Rethinking the Niger Delta and Strategies and Imperatives for Developing the Niger Delta—were unveiled.
In an emotional reflection, the NDDC boss recounted his difficult childhood, thanking God and his mentors for guiding him from student activism to political service and ultimately to his current role.