A Well-Deserved Reappointment!’ – Ogbia Kingdom Commends Tinubu For Ogbuku’s Return

The people of Ogbia Kingdom in Bayelsa State’s Ogbia Local Government Area have expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for reappointing their son, Samuel Ogbuku, as the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Speaking at a press conference in Yenagoa on Monday, traditional rulers and community leaders urged an end to protests and agitations against Ogbuku’s reappointment. Instead, they called for constructive dialogue to ensure the collective progress of the Niger Delta region.

The Obanobhan of Ogbia Kingdom, King Dumaro Charles-Owaba, and the Acting National Chairman of Ogbia Brotherhood, Azibalaguo Seibofa, also extended gratitude to former President Muhammadu Buhari for initially appointing Ogbuku and President Tinubu for renewing his tenure.

They further acknowledged the governors of the nine NDDC states for their unwavering support.

Ogbia Kingdom’s Economic Contributions & Neglect

Seibofa, who also serves as the traditional Prime Minister of Ogbia Kingdom, lamented that despite Ogbia’s major contributions to Nigeria’s economy, the region remains underdeveloped.

“Ogbia Kingdom played a historic role in Nigeria’s economic growth, yet it has suffered decades of neglect despite its vast oil and gas wealth,” he stated.

He highlighted that since the discovery of crude oil in Oloibiri in 1956, the region has yielded trillions of cubic feet of gas and an unquantifiable volume of crude oil worth trillions of naira and hundreds of millions of dollars. However, the area has seen little to no corresponding development.

“Oloibiri-Otabagi and other Ogbia communities have been abandoned for decades. There have been no deliberate efforts by International Oil Companies or the Federal Government to develop the region or implement environmental remediation programs,” Seibofa added.

He further stressed that decades of oil exploration have resulted in severe environmental degradation, loss of aquatic life, and destruction of wildlife—with no meaningful intervention.

Ogbia’s Historical Marginalization

The Ogbia leaders also decried the historical marginalization of their people, noting that despite their immense contributions to Nigeria’s oil industry, no indigene of the kingdom has ever been appointed to head any of the country’s interventionist agencies.