Niger Delta
Group Urges Buhari To Inaugurate NDDC Board
A civil defence movement, Niger Delta Progressive Network (NDPN), has joined numerous stakeholders to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari to honour his words and inaugurate the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board which was examined and confirmed by the Senate of the Federal Republic. Nigeria on November 5, 2019.
Disclosing this in a statement signed by the National President, Kaniye Amakiri and National Secretary, Asuquo Inyang, on behalf of the group, they reminded Mr. President that on June 24, 2021, while receiving the leadership of the Ijaw National Congress ( INC), promised in very clear terms that it would inaugurate the already revised and confirmed NDDC board upon completion and receipt of the Forensic Auditors report.
Recall that the general body of the Ijaw nation, worldwide, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) also recently warned that “any further delay in the inauguration of the NDDC board is a clear betrayal of trust and callousness of the State in the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta region. “
The INC’s call followed President Buhari’s promise on June 24, 2021, while he was hosting the Ijaw National Congress at the State House in Abuja, in which President Buhari said that the NDDC Board would be inaugurated as soon as the forensic audit report was submitted. and accepted.
The president said: “ Based on the mismanagement that had previously affected the NDDC, a forensic audit was established and the result is expected by the end of July 2021. I want to assure you that as soon as the report of the forensic audit is submitted and accepted, the NDDC Board will be inaugurated. “
The group reminded President Buhari that the Federal Government also reiterated its position to inaugurate the Board confirmed by the Senate immediately after the conclusion of the forensic audit during the inaugural ceremony of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC in 2019.
Therefore, Niger Delta Progressive Network urged Chairman Buhari to fulfil this promise and inaugurate the board without further delay, now that the Forensic Audit has concluded and thereby to shame those who doubt his sincerity and commitment to keep his words. .
Said the group: “Finally, we wish to remind the President that with the receipt of the forensic audit report, the inauguration of the board will mark a new beginning not only for the commission but also for the people of the Niger Delta.”
The NDPN also stated that it aligned its members with the calls, demands and peaceful agitations of youth, men and women, political and traditional leaders and civil society organisations in the Niger Delta that the inauguration of the NDDC Board will promote and will maintain peace, fairness and justice, transparency and accountability, good governance and rapid development and transformation of the Niger Delta region, and defuse the tension of militancy and reduce the threat of insecurity in the region.
The NDPN noted that while the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) had been allowed to function with its duly constituted Board in place in accordance with its NEDC Act, thus ensuring adequate corporate governance, accountability, checks and balances, and representation fair of its constituent states, the NDDC, on the other hand, has been arbitrarily administered in the last 2 years by interim committees / sole administrator in violation of the NDDC Act even after President Buhari had appointed a Board for the NDDC that was duly confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on November 5, 2019, but was asked to stand by for inauguration after forensic audit.
Therefore, the group urged the president to now comply with the NDDC Act and fulfil his promise by inaugurating the Commission’s Governing Board to ensure accountability, checks and balances, probity, and equitable representation of the nine constituent states. from the Niger Delta region.
Inaugurating the sub-committees in Government House, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, explained that Bayelsa has countless reasons to appreciate God for what He has done for its land and people in the 30 years of its existence, especially in development.
He charged the sub-committees to come up with proposals for the various activities and events for the celebration within the next two weeks in line with their respective terms of reference, stressing that strategic things had to be done to make the anniversary significant and historic.
According to him, the three-day programme of activities for the anniversary celebration, which will commence on the 29th of September, will be preceded by two weeks of commissioning of public infrastructural projects completed by the Prosperity Administration.
The Bayelsa Number Two Man further clarified that events penciled down for the celebration include a cultural carnival, boat regatta, anniversary lecture, sporting events, state banquet and awards night.
The sub-committees are: the Awards Sub-Committee, chaired by His Majesty, King Bubaraye Dakolo; the Sports Sub-Committee, headed by Hon. Daniel Igali; and the Lecture Sub-Committee, with Prof. Stephen Olali as its Chairman.
Others are: the Mega Praise Sub-Committee, jointly chaired by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Peter Akpe, and the Managing Director of Premium Trust Bank, Dr. Emmanuel Emiefenim; the Cultural Sub-Committee, headed by Rt. Hon. Monday Bubou-Obolo; and the Publicity Sub-Committee, with the Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, as Chairman.
by: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Niger Delta
NDDC Backs Federal Drive To Cut Maternal, Newborn Deaths … Trains Traditional Birth Attendants
The Commission made the pledge during workshops for traditional birth attendants held in Delta and Bayelsa states, where it stressed the need for stronger collaboration between traditional birth attendants and the orthodox healthcare system to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
Speaking at the training, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, urged women to embrace modern medical care while leveraging the trusted role of traditional birth attendants in their communities.
Represented by the Principal Manager, Education, Health and Social Services (EHSS), Mrs. Dare-Oloko Kuami, Ogbuku described maternal and child mortality as an alarming public health challenge that requires urgent and collective action.
“The rate of death among women and children is alarming and must be eradicated. This training is designed to enlighten our women and should not be taken for granted”, he said.
According to him, the workshop was organised to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of traditional birth attendants in providing safe maternal and newborn care, identifying pregnancy-related complications early, and referring high-risk cases promptly to hospitals and health centres.
Also speaking, the Director of Education, Health and Social Services, Dr. Patience Ezugu, called on women to take issues relating to childbirth seriously, stressing that improved knowledge and adherence to safe delivery practices would help save lives.
Represented by the Principal Manager, EHSS, Dr. Otokolo Fidelis, Ezugu disclosed that more than 300 women from Delta and Bayelsa states participated in the training and were provided with medical equipment and cash support to enhance their services.
One of the resource persons, Mrs. Gift Akitiri, underscored the vital role traditional birth attendants continue to play in many rural communities, noting that regular capacity building would improve the quality of maternal healthcare delivery.
“Traditional birth attendants are trusted members of many communities. By equipping them with updated knowledge, we are helping to ensure that mothers and newborns receive timely and appropriate care, thereby improving health outcomes”, she said.
A participant, Mrs. Franscica Odiakosa, commended the NDDC for organising the workshop, describing it as timely and impactful.
“I have gained valuable knowledge that will improve the quality of healthcare I provide in my community. I have also learnt the importance of referring expectant mothers to health centres and hospitals whenever a case is beyond my capacity”, she said, while urging the Commission to sustain the initiative.
Speaking during the inauguration ceremony at the club’s headquarters on Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo, the President of the club, Prof. Sahm Etuk, urged the newly elected executive members to bring their wealth of experience and professionalism to bear in the discharge of their responsibilities.
He said members of the club expected the new leadership not only to strengthen the institution, but to also extend its impact beyond the clubhouse through service to the wider community.
“You have voluntarily presented yourselves for service, and we expect that you will make yourselves available at all times to offer the service required of you”, Etuk said.
The inauguration followed the April 2026 bye-election conducted to fill vacant positions in the Executive Council.
Among those inaugurated was renowned broadcast administrator and Executive Managing Consultant of Comfort 95.1 FM, Uyo, Samuel Enoh Akpan, who was elected Public Relations Officer. Akpan is also a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).
Other members of the Executive Council are Barrister Eno Inyang (Treasurer), Anthony Etim (Social Secretary), Christian Daniel (Welfare Secretary), Friday Ekpa (Legal Adviser), Christian Chukwu (Provost), Mmenye Udofa (Assistant Secretary), Otu Otu (Maintenance Secretary) and Macaulay Udom (Ex-Officio).
Prof. Etuk, a Professor of Strategic Marketing, Director of the School of Continuing Education at the University of Uyo, and Chairman of the institution’s Sports Committee, had earlier been inaugurated as President on January 10, 2026, alongside the Vice President, Dr. Nestor Udoh, a retired Permanent Secretary.
Other officials inaugurated at the time include Ndi Aquaisua (General Secretary), TPL Dr. Emmanuel Etuk (Financial Secretary), Dr. Imbur Terfa (Auditor), and Dr. Anietie Ekong (General Games Captain).
The President also inaugurated the Board of Past Presidents, made up of all living former presidents of the club, urging them to continue providing guidance and institutional support to the Executive Council in line with the club’s constitution.
Former presidents present at the event included Dr. Emem Umoh, Dr. Bassey Etuknwa, Engr. Mbosowo Orok, Prof. Ini Jonah, and Akparawa Ikpong Essien-Udom, a member of the Standing Committee of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
Etuk called on members to unite in pursuit of the club’s founding ideals of recreation, service and development, expressing confidence that the newly constituted organs of the club would strengthen its operations and reposition it for greater relevance.
Founded in 1935, Uyo Club remains one of Nigeria’s foremost recreational associations, with a membership that cuts across diverse professions and sectors of society.