From Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has commissioned the 9.4-kilometre Ogu Community Road Network and a 1,500-seater Royal Hall in Ogu, Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Speaking at the inauguration of the two projects, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, said they were further demonstrations of the Federal Government’s determination to develop the Niger Delta region.
He said: “I am overwhelmed by the current level of development in Ogu, facilitated by the NDDC. I have 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 am participating in the activities of the NDDC, and this is because I am satisfied with the performance of the current leadership of the Commission. They have demonstrated that they are 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 speech, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stated that the road and the town hall were dividends of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He noted that the NDDC was spreading the good news of President Tinubu through tangible results.
He described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory as a “champion of development,” with footprints in Rivers State and the nation’s capital.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer restated the Commission’s commitment to the mandate given to it by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to change the narrative in Nigeria’s oil-producing region. Ogbuku affirmed that the Commission was engaging all stakeholders to ensure harmony and cooperation in developing the Niger Delta region.
He charged the communities in the Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area to join hands in owning and maintaining the NDDC projects in their areas.
In his remarks, 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.
On the Royal Hall, the Director explained that the 1,500-seater capacity town hall was furnished with state-of-the-art fittings, including firefighting equipment, at strategic positions, acoustic walls to ensure efficient sound filter and heat absorption, multiple air conditioners to ensure the comfort of the users and an efficient public sound system.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the Ogu Divisional Council of Chiefs, Chief Lawrence Egbelekpeke, expressed gratitude to the NDDC for executing various projects in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area. He commended the vision and leadership of the NDDC Board and Management, noting that the quality of the projects was exceptional.
