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It was like a carnival on the serene campus of the Edo State Polytechnic, Usen, Ovia South-West Local Government Area. The visibly satisfied polytechnic students were bubbling with excitement as their governor, fondly referred to as “Akpako Rescuer,” visited their campus alongside the leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to inaugurate new roads for them.
Their joy flows from the 4.595-kilometre internal roads built by the NDDC, breaking a 23-year jinx of living in a deplorable environment. As aptly captured by the NDDC executive director of projects, Dr. Victor Antai, the commission has come on a rescue mission.
He said: “For 23 years, this institution stood as a centre of learning without a single metre of tar on its grounds. For over two decades, students and staff battled dust and mud to access classrooms. Today, NDDC is manifesting its establishment as an interventionist agency in this institution of higher learning in Edo State.”
The project, which marked a turning point for the Edo Polytechnic, comprised 4.8km of asphalt pavement, including 4.595km of internal roads, and 205 dual-carriageway entrance gates.
Beyond laying asphalt, the underlying environmental challenges were addressed by constructing 4.205 kilometres of reinforced concrete drainage channels, alongside a 32-metre by 900-millimetre reinforced concrete ring culvert, effectively curbing the persistent erosion that had long threatened this terrain.
According to Antai, “this project is a testament to the NDDC’s ‘Making a Difference’ mantra. We are not just building roads; we are paving the way for academic excellence. I must commend the governor of Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo, for his administration’s synergy with the NDDC. When the state government and the commission work in harmony, it is the people who win.
“Indeed, the NDDC is entering a new phase of ‘Making a Difference,’ in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda. Today, as we commission these internal roads, we are paving the way for a brighter, smoother and more prosperous future for every student in Usen.”
Like the students, the Edo State governor beamed as he announced more amenities for the polytechnic. Speaking during the launch of the internal roads, Okpebholo stated that they were much more than concrete and asphalt, as they meant better access in and around the campus for students and staff.
He declared: “By investing in the Polytechnic, the NDDC has invested in the future of our children. This intervention is a practical demonstration of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.”
Okpebholo commended the NDDC for its commitment to developing the Niger Delta region. He urged the commission to continue partnering with state governments to execute more infrastructure projects.
In his speech, the Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, commended the NDDC board and management for responding appropriately to the directives of President Tinubu’s charge to deliver impactful projects in the Niger Delta region.
Momoh lauded the NDDC for collaborating with the state governments in the interest of developing the Niger Delta region.
In his remarks, the chairman of the NDDC board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, said that the completion of the road network reflected the President Tinubu administration’s desire to transform the Niger Delta region.
He stated that the commission was determined to partner with the governors of the Niger Delta states to ensure that the oil-producing states enjoy sustainable development.
Also, the managing director of NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, restated the commission’s commitment to the mandate given by President Tinubu to change the narrative in Nigeria’s oil-producing region.
The unmistakable fact about the situation at the Polytechnic is that it has endured many years of neglect. Ogbuku could not overlook this fact, as he said: “For over 23 years, Edo State Polytechnic in Ovia-South West LGA existed without a functional road network. Not a single metre of tarred road served this academic community.
“I listened to accounts of how students and staff endured clouds of dust in the dry season and waded through mud whenever it rained—all in their pursuit of knowledge and service. That reality was unacceptable to me.”
Ogbuku reassured that the commission is willing to go into a wide range of partnerships with the Edo State government on the provision of socio-economic infrastructure that brings additional value to the people of the state
The managing director stated that the commission was committed to spreading the joy of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present government through infrastructure development and commended President Tinubu and the Edo State government for their support and cooperation, which have led to the feats recorded.
He said: “NDDC is willing and prepared to enter into more partnerships with the government, such that immense value is added to the lives of the people.
“We will continue to celebrate the dividends of NDDC’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Earlier in the year, we commissioned a series of projects as part of the ‘NDDC Dividends of Renewed Hope’ initiative, as these projects were awarded during Mr President’s tenure, demonstrating that he is working for the region across all nine states.
“In alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, I am proud that the NDDC, in strong collaboration with the Edo State Government, has decisively changed the narrative in the Niger Delta.
“For me, this project goes far beyond infrastructure. It is about restoring dignity to a learning environment that waited more than two decades for meaningful intervention. It is about providing safe, accessible pathways that now seamlessly connect administrative blocks, lecture halls, and hostels.
“As managing director, I remain steadfast in my commitment to ensuring that the NDDC continues to fulfil its mandate as a proactive interventionist agency. Today, we have done more than construct roads—we have restored confidence, strengthened access to education, and reinforced hope for the people of the Niger Delta.
“We are here to once again spread the joy of Renewed Hope. And I can see the joy on the faces of all of us in this arena.”
The NDDC boss likened the transformation at the Polytechnic to past miracles, when people thought certain things were impossible. “I believe people from this community, staff and students of this institution, actually believed it was impossible for them to have a good network of roads. But what you’re seeing today is part of the dividends of Mr President’s renewed hope,” he said.
According to Ogbuku, “Mr President gave us strict instructions to take development to the nooks and crannies of the Niger Delta. Not leaving any institution behind.
“Today, the NDDC is positively affecting the lives of the people of the Niger Delta. In the educational, health, rural development, and other infrastructure sectors.
“What we are celebrating today was an idea and a vision of previous administrations. But today, this administration has made it a reality. I want to say thank you to Mr President. For making this possible.”
The managing director thanked the governor of Edo State for consistently collaborating with the NDDC to execute development projects that touch the lives of the people in remote communities and institutions.
Hẹ said: “For us in NDDC, we have always pledged to partner with state governments because when we do, projects move faster and we achieve more. NDDC is not a government. This is an interventionist agency that complements the state government’s efforts.
He announced that the NDDC was willing to partner with the Edo State government to address erosion issues that had ravaged the state’s communities. “We have started work on a section of the erosion in Auchi, and NDDC has mobilised the contractor to begin work to fix the erosion in the Auchi area in Edo State,” Ogbuku stated.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong, thanked President Tinubu for his steadfast commitment to the progress of the Niger Delta through the Renewed Hope Agenda. He pledged that the Senate Committee on NDDC would continue to ensure diligent oversight of the Commission’s activities.
