News
NDDC refutes false online report on delay in execution of projects
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has taken notice of a malicious publication by an online news medium, aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the Commission and its Management.
In a report on September 25, the online newspaper published false, misleading, and unverified information under the title: “NDDC Projects Drag In Niger-Delta As Tinubu Government Fails To Publish Commission’s Audit Report.”
The false report claimed, among other things, that the NDDC spent N5 billion of public funds to finance the 50th birthday celebration of its Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku. Obviously, the aim is to undermine the Commission’s efforts in transforming the lives of Niger Deltans.
The report also claimed that “different projects in the Niger Delta region have continued to drag on as the Bola Tinubu administration fails to publish the forensic audit report of the NDDC.”
The allegations are not only false but also a deliberate attempt to detract from the Commission’s visible developmental strides. As has been clarified repeatedly, friends, family members, and associates of Dr. Ogbuku solely sponsored the birthday events, and not the NDDC.
For the records, the major highlight of Ogbuku’s birthday celebration was the launch of two books in Abuja. Rather than opting for a lavish or extravagant affair, Ogbuku’s milestone was structured around three core pillars: intellectual reflection, communal celebration, and thanksgiving to God.
On the issue of project delivery, nothing can be father from the truth than the claim that there is a drag in the execution of NDDC projects because od non release of audit report.
The truth is that the NDDC has continued to demonstrate its determination to make the renewed hope agenda of the Federal Government a reality in the Niger Delta region, and it remains committed to the mandate given to the Commission by President Bola Tinubu to change the narrative in Nigeria’s oil-producing region.
It is on record that in February this year, the NDDC inaugurated the 9.6-kilometre Abraka-Oben Road in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area, Delta State, and flagged off the reconstruction of the Abraka-Agbor Road.
The following month, the Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh inaugurated the 7.3-kilometre Oyigbo Road network, which traverses Obunku, Umuosi, Obeakpu, Mgboji, and Ndoki communities in the Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State. He also launched the reconstruction of the Mgboji-Umuagbu Akwete Road, linking Rivers, Abia, and Akwa Ibom states.
Shortly after, the Commission inaugurated the 7.8-km Eziama-Abba-Owerre Nkworji Road, linking Isiala Mbano Local Government Area to Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State.
In the neighbouring Abia State, the Minister inaugurated the reconstructed 23.7-kilometre Ndoro-Ntalakwu Road Network and adjoining roads in Ikwuano Local Government Area, as well as the reconstructed Isi-Court Olokoro-Amaoba Oboro Road in Umuahia South LGA of Abia State.
In June, the Minister commissioned the Ultra-Modern NDDC Cross River State Office and a road network totalling 8,137 km in Calabar South and Municipality. He also flagged off the first phase of distributing Handheld Tiller Machines to Farmers.
Similarly, the NDDC commissioned its new State Office Complex in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on June 18, 2025.
A day earlier, the Commission had inaugurated the Renewed Hope Multi-Purpose Training Centre in Otuokpoti, Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.
Recall that between May 18 and 28, 2024, the NDDC commissioned five impactful projects in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo, and Ondo states, covering roads, bridges, and electricity projects.
The projects are as follows: The 9km Obehie-Oke-Ikpe road in Ukwa West LGA, Abia State; the 25.7 kilometre Ogbia -Nembe Road in Bayelsa State; the 1×15MVA 33/11KV electricity injection substation in Amufi, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area in Benin City, Edo State; the 45km double-circuit 33KV feeder line from Omotosho Power Station to Okitipupa, Ondo State and the NDDC 6km Iko-Atabrikang-Akata-Opulom-Ikot Inwang-Okoroutip-Iwochang Road and 600m Ibeno Bridge in Ibeno LGA, Akwa Ibom State.
Currently, the Commission is working round the clock to deliver other legacy projects like the 1.2 km Kaa-Ataba Bridge linking Khana and Andoni local Government Areas of Rivers State; the Okirika-Borikiri Bridge; the regional specialist hospitals in Ikom, Cross River State and port Harcourt; the Bonny Ring Road in Rivers State; the Road Linking Rivers and Abia States, Including the Ikaa Bridge in Akwa Ibom.
Unfortunately, the online platform has chosen the path of falsehood, publishing unverified allegations, recycling rumours, and undermining progress. But the Niger Delta decides the path of development.
We urge the public to disregard the malicious publication and instead focus on the Commission’s numerous achievements and initiatives that have had a positive impact on the region.
*Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director, Corporate Affairs.
Ex- Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and rejoined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Shekarau announced his defection on Sunday at his residence on Mundubawa Avenue in Kano, which was decorated with APC posters.
As reported by Daily Trust, he left the party alongside Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo, a chieftain of the PDP.
Addressing party loyalists, Shekarau said the decision followed wide consultations and careful consideration of available political options.
“We have weighed all the options and arrived at this collective resolution. Do you all agree?” he asked, urging anyone opposed to the move to speak up.
The move comes hours after he submitted his resignation letter from the PDP.
In the letter dated April 19, 2026, and addressed to the PDP Chairman of Giginyu Ward in Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, Shekarau said his exit took immediate effect.
“Accept this letter please as notice of my resignation from my position as member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with effect from today,” he wrote.
He expressed appreciation to party leadership at the ward level.
“I thank you for being a good leader, and pray that Allah will continue to guide you in your stewardship,” he added.
The letter was also copied to the Kano State PDP Chairman and the PDP Chairman of Nassarawa Local Government Area, indicating formal notification across party structures.
Shekarau’s move follows months of speculation fuelled by the PDP’s internal crisis.
In April, during a visit by APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Shekarau hinted at his impending exit from the PDP, describing the opposition party as afflicted by problems that had rendered it ineffective.
He also held closed-door meetings with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf.
Shekarau, who governed Kano State from 2003 to 2011 under the All Nigeria Peoples Party, has a history of party switches.
He was a founding member of the APC but later defected.
He left the PDP in 2018 and returned to the APC before he later crossed carpet.
Punch
By Gloria Ikibah
A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Leke Abejide, has cautioned Nigerians against allowing economic strain to fracture their marriages, urging couples to remain grounded in shared values despite mounting pressures.
Speaking in Abuja during a thanksgiving service marking his wife’s 50th birthday alongside their 20th wedding anniversary, the Kogi lawmaker stressed that difficult times should not erode family stability.
He emphasised that enduring relationships are sustained through love, patience and mutual respect, noting that strong homes are built on understanding and a shared commitment to faith.
Abejide underscored the importance of staying united through hardship, warning that financial challenges, though real, should not outweigh the deeper foundations that hold families together.
“You sustain marriage with love as it is written in the book of Ephesians Chapter 5 — husbands should love their wives and wives should submit to their husbands. This principle has been working for us,” he said.
Abejide observed that despite widespread complaints about economic challenges, many Nigerians continue to make significant investments.
He said: “My message to Nigerians is: don’t allow hunger and hardship to take away your marriage. Let God be your foundation. When you have God, things will fall into place.
“You see people building houses, they say there is no money. You see estates springing up, people buying vehicles and travelling abroad. So we must not allow temporary hardship to destroy our homes,” he said.
In her remark, Deaconess Esther Abejide credited the strength of her two-decade marriage to a foundation built on patience, mutual understanding and genuine affection.
Reflecting on the journey, she highlighted the central role of faith and sacrifice in sustaining a lasting union.
“The secret is love and understanding. Couples must understand each other, know what their partner likes and dislikes. With that, the marriage will last.
“With God in the marriage, through prayer and even fasting, it will stand,” she said.
Speaking on balancing life as the spouse of a public office holder with her religious commitments, she described the experience as smooth and fulfilling, noting that her natural disposition has made the transition easier.
“It is easy for me because I love people and I am always happy to be around them, so it has not been difficult to cope,” she said.
Also at the event, Senator Sunday Karimi shared a hopeful outlook on the country’s economic trajectory, urging Nigerians to remain patient as reforms under President Bola Tinubu continue to unfold.
“There is hope. There is a renewed hope. Let me tell you what is happening, we are graduating from an economy that has no direction. When the country starts printing money, it’s a fake country. That was what was happening.
“But Tinubu came and said no. Let’s run a perfect economy. It’s not been easy. But I can promise you, we are moving to the promised land. Our economy is getting better. Don’t mind the borrowing they are talking about. Check the US and their debt. It’s in trillions of dollars but the economy is running well.
“Look at Lagos. Lagos is a shining example of a state that we ought to look up to in Nigeria. That is what Tinubu is doing for us. We need to be patient. Nigeria is getting better. By God’s grace, he is coming back to continue the work he is doing”, he said.
Karimi dismissed opposition coalition efforts, describing the actors as “the same old politicians” with nothing new to offer the country.
The celebration drew a mix of political allies, relatives and close friends, all turning out to mark the couple’s milestone. The occasion was further highlighted by the presentation of an 18-seater bus to the church as part of the festivities.
All 13 passengers abducted along the Makurdi–Otukpo road in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State have been successfully rescued.
The victims were reportedly freed in the early hours of Sunday, following what sources described as a coordinated effort.
Meanwhile, official confirmation and operational details are still being awaited at the time of filing this report.
The abduction had earlier raised concerns among residents and commuters along the busy Makurdi–Otukpo axis, a route that has witnessed sporadic security challenges in recent times.
Security agencies are yet to issue a formal statement on the circumstances surrounding both the abduction and the subsequent rescue.
It also remains unclear whether any arrests were made or if ransom was involved.
Local sources, however, expressed relief over the safe return of the victims, describing the development as a significant breakthrough amid ongoing security concerns in the area.
The spokesperson of the Benue state Police command, DSP Udeme Edet could not be reached to confirm the story as at the time of filing this report.
BREAKING: Ex-Kano gov, Ibrahim Shekarau goes back to APC
Hardship Not a Licence for Broken Homes – Abejide Tells Couples
All 13 kidnapped Otukpo passengers, successfully rescued
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