Public Service Award
The nomination of Dr. Samuel Ogbuku as the substantive Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in November, 2022, elicited wild jubilation across the Niger Delta. The reason was obvious as he had adequate understanding of the problems of the region and the capacity to tackle them.
Being the first home-grown community leader, activist and development strategist to lead the day-to-day running of the NDDC, his crendentisls gave stakeholders hope that the fortunes and trajectory of the commission would have a positive turn-around. They were right. Ogbuku is a man of great vision, determination and drive. He pays attention to details and ensures that jobs are not only done but also done well. This is why he visits project sites to monitor activities, among others. These are virtues he had exhibited in his previous political appointments, including as Chief of Staff to a governor.
At NDDC, Ogbuku has changed the narrative and restored hope. He has changed the profile of the commission from “transactional” to “transformational.” He is determined to use the resources available to complete legacy projects, with the view to catering to the needs of Niger Delta region and people.
On assumption of office, he made efforts to complete projects embarked upon by previous leaderships of the NDDC, including regional roads, bridges, electricity projects, school buildings, hospitals, shore reclamation and protection, among others, before embarking on new ones. This was a departure from the past when successive administrations abandoned projects of their predecessors and started new ones, many of which are not also completed. Under his watch, the NDDC is not only responsive to the needs of the people but also responsible. In healthcare, the NDDC acquired and distributed 13 ambulances to regional hospitals in response to a cholera outbreak. The Commission has tremendously invested in healthcare infrastructure also. There is the construction of no fewer than 142 health centres and hospitals equipped with modern facilities.
The NDDC has also resumed the free healthcare programme, to the benefit of rural community dwellers, as part of its commitment to enhancing healthcare delivery to the people. More than 20,000 have undergone free surgeries, 27,000 received free eyeglasses, 88,900 administered typhoid vaccine doses, 36,000 got sets of essential drugs and 45,000 patients attended to, among others. The NDDC has constructed, rehabilitated and working on more than 5 141.3 kilometres of roads through swamps and forests, built 42 bridges, built thousands of hydraulic structures and 87 jetties across the region.
The roads include the 25.7-kilometre Ogbia-Nembe Road in Bayelsa, which were executed in partnership with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), the 600-meter Ibeno Bridge and the 6.87-kilometre Iko-Atabrikang-Opolom-IwuoAchang Road, in Ibeno Local Government Area, of Akwa Ibom State, as well as the nine-kilometre Obehie-Oke-Ikpe Road in Ukwa West LGA of Abia. Other roads are Ididep Ekpenyong Ikot Etim Afaha Itiat, Uquo-Akpautong-Odoronkit-Ntak-Inyang-Etebi, Esit Eket Roads in Akwa Ibom, Ugilaimai-Ogume, Abbi, Onicha-Ugbo, Udumuje-Ugboko-Ewohimi Bridge and Roads in Delta, the Port Harcourt-Owerri Road and the Atani/Amuvi Road in Arochukwu, Abia.
On security, Ogbuku has done much. The NDDC, through the Department of Dispute and Conflict Resolution (DCR), has continued to ensure friendly relationships with communities in the region. The commission has also joined various security agencies to promote peace and security across communities in the region, supporting them with equipment and logistics.
In education, 2,323 students in the region have benefitted from the Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship Programme of the NDDC. The latest beneficiaries of the overseas scholarship scheme resumed academic activities in universities abroad last September, with fees all fully paid.
NDDC has also provided more than 107, 480 educational items to schools, rehabilitated 924 schools, and building 1,571 hostel rooms, among others. On youth empowerment, NDDC launched the Project HOPE, which has hosted the Port Harcourt Tech Expo to foster innovation and technological advancement. Under this programmes, the capacity of youth is enhanced, with the view to making them self-reliant.
All these accomplishments have earned Dr. Samuel Ogbuku The Sun Public Service Award.