One Thing You Must Appreciate About Chief (Dr) Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of NDDC
By Chief Jones Abiri – You may hold many opinions about the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), but one quality—among many that stand out and which I truly admire—is his civility.
Chief (Dr) Samuel Ogbuku has undoubtedly restored a sense of decency and order to governance at the NDDC. Political office holders have now been reminded that they are, first and foremost, NDDC civil servants who should be in their offices, do their jobs, and earn their living responsibly.
The era of hearing “I am a politician” each time you ask those loitering around the NDDC premises about their occupation is gone. People no longer wander around the premises or block the entrance to the Golden Building unnecessarily, constituting a nuisance.
What we now see aligns with what is obtainable in more advanced societies. This development has not only given the NDDC building a calm and businesslike atmosphere, but it has also significantly reduced the cost of governance while giving the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC and his refined team the space to craft impactful policies that are gradually transforming the region into the model of development we are all proud of.
The soft-spoken Managing Director—smart, assertive, diligent, and result-oriented—is an enigma worth studying. I don’t blame those who criticise him; many simply do not understand the kind of leader he is. Perhaps they prefer noisy governance to deliberate, strategic, and intentional leadership.
However, one concern we must still address is the attitude of a few Niger Delta citizens who believe in “business as usual.” Even when given the opportunity to contribute to the developmental agenda of Chief (Dr) Samuel Ogbuku, some still drag their feet and sabotage progress.
I advise all contractors in the region to understand clearly that we are now in an era of Business Unusual, and we cannot afford not to key in.
Indeed, the people of the Niger Delta region must open their eyes: supervise the NDDC projects around you, report when specifications are not met, and alert authorities when there is undue delay by contractors—just as the NDDC Managing Director has advised on several occasions.
That is how we collectively help the Niger Delta region stand out even more. We all must be civil, just as our Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC and his team are.
Chief Jones Abiri, a journalist, writes from Yenagoa titled One Thing You Must Appreciate About Chief (Dr) Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of NDDC.
