By Obiabin Onukwugha
The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has called on stakeholders in the Niger Delta region to unite and confront the complex challenges facing their communities.
This is as the NDDC boss, emphasised the commission’s commitment to spread development to communities of the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku made the call when he hosted a delegation from the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), who paid him a solidarity visit at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer reiterated the foundational principle of inclusiveness, underscoring the Commission’s mandate to foster sustainable development across all communities within the nine states of the Niger Delta region.
Ogbuku also emphasised that regardless ethnicity, the people of the Niger Delta are bound by common challenges, including underdevelopment and ecological issues, which he said the commission was more poised to tackle.
He stated: “NDDC is for the nine states of the Niger Delta region, meaning I am here to work in the interest of the nine states of the region. No matter your ethnic group in the Niger Delta region, we all face the same challenges. Therefore, we must all work together to address our challenges.
“All Niger Deltans must be accommodating and work in harmony to drive the process of development for the well-being of our people. I was not appointed to look back or shift blames. I was appointed to look forward to fix the problems in the region.
“This commitment to inclusiveness is not only regional but also aligns with the global vision of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Regardless of our ethnicity, we are all related and we face common challenges. These challenges, like underdevelopment and ecological problems, bring us all together.
“We are actively engaged in solar power projects to contribute to the fight against climate change. Our goal is to electrify every community using solar energy, while also seeking to recover carbon credits through our projects.”
Earlier, President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Sir Jonathan Lokpobiri, acknowledged NDDC’s progress under Dr. Ogbuku’s leadership.
Lokpobiri, who congratulated the NDDC boss on his re-appointment appealed to the Federal Government to fulfill its financial obligations to the NDDC, saying the Commission is the primary driver of sustainable development in the Niger Delta region.