The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has commissioned a 9.4-kilometre Ogu Community Road Network and a 1,500 seater Royal Hall in Ogu, Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, while speaking at the inauguration yesterday, described the projects as further proof of the Federal Government’s commitment to the development of the Niger Delta region.
Wike said he was impressed by the quality and scale of infrastructure delivered in the community, stressing that the network of concrete roads and drainage systems had significantly transformed Ogu.
According to the minister, the projects had positively impacted residents’ lives, attributing the progress to what he described as effective collaboration within the current leadership of the commission.
He urged government agencies and stakeholders to work together to ensure the successful implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said, “I’m overwhelmed by the current level of development in Ogu, facilitated by the NDDC. I’ve seen the network of concrete roads with drainages and I am impressed.
“The NDDC has impacted positively on the lives of the people of Ogu, and this is largely because of the working understanding between the NDDC Managing Director and the Executive Director, Finance and Administration.
“This is the first time I’m participating in the activities of the NDDC, and this is because I’m satisfied with the performance of the current leadership of the Commission. They’ve demonstrated that they’re working for the people.”
The Minister charged all government agencies to join hands to ensure the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In his address, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said the completed road and town hall were part of the tangible dividends of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He noted that the NDDC was deliberately showcasing President Bola Tinubu’s agenda through visible and impactful projects across the Niger Delta.
Ogbuku described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory as a champion of development, noting that his developmental footprints were evident not only in Rivers State but also in the nation’s capital.
While reaffirming the Commission’s resolve, the NDDC Chief Executive Officer said the agency remained committed to the mandate handed down by President Tinubu to reverse years of neglect and reposition the oil-producing region for sustainable growth.
He added that the Commission was actively engaging critical stakeholders to foster peace, harmony and cooperation in driving development across the Niger Delta.
He urged residents of Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area to take ownership of the projects and ensure their proper maintenance, stressing that community participation was key to sustaining development initiatives.
On his part, the NDDC Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, noted that the people of Ogu were full of joy over the projects and reassured them that the present board of the Commission would not relent in spreading development to all communities.
In his project brief, the NDDC Director of Project Monitoring and Supervision, Engr. Gbenga Omowale, explained that the Ogu Community Road Network (Phases 1 and 2) comprised a 9.450 km rigid pavement road with an average width of 7.3m.
According to him, the road project covered a total of 12,600km of reinforced concrete line drains, slabs and ring culverts.
Omowale said the road would provide an easy, accessible network connecting the villages in Ogu and its neighbouring communities, as well as improve socio-economic conditions in the communities along the alignment
