NDDC Denies Sahara Reporters’ 5bn Birthday Claim

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has strongly reacted to what it described as a malicious publication by Sahara Reporters aimed at tarnishing the image of the Commission and its Management.

In a report published on Thursday, September 25, 2025, Sahara Reporters alleged that the Commission mismanaged public funds and failed in project delivery.

The report was titled: “NDDC Projects Drag In Niger-Delta As Tinubu Government Fails To Publish Commission’s Audit Report.”

The publication claimed that the NDDC spent ?5 billion of public money to fund the 50th birthday celebration of its Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku. It also alleged 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 Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).”

The Commission dismissed the report, describing the allegations as false and misleading. “The false report claimed, among other things, that the NDDC spent ?5 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 Commission said.

According to the NDDC, friends, family members, and associates of Dr Ogbuku sponsored the birthday celebration, not the Commission. It explained that the major highlight of the event was the launch of two books in Abuja. The occasion was centred on three main pillars: intellectual reflection, communal celebration, and thanksgiving to God.

On the issue of project execution, the NDDC said that claims linking the non-release of the forensic audit report to delays in project delivery were false. The Commission noted that it has remained focused on fulfilling its mandate and aligning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

It recalled that in February 2025, the NDDC inaugurated the 9.6-kilometre Abraka-Oben Road in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, and flagged off the reconstruction of the Abraka-Agbor Road.

In March, the Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, commissioned the 7.3-kilometre Oyigbo Road network, covering communities in Rivers State, and launched the reconstruction of the Mgboji-Umuagbu Akwete Road, linking Rivers, Abia, and Akwa Ibom states. Shortly after, the NDDC also inaugurated the 7.8-kilometre Eziama-Abba-Owerre Nkworji Road in Imo State.

In Abia State, the Minister inaugurated the reconstructed 23.7-kilometre Ndoro-Ntalakwu Road Network in Ikwuano Local Government Area and the Isi-Court Olokoro-Amaoba Oboro Road in Umuahia South.

In June, the Commission opened its Ultra-Modern State Office in Cross River and commissioned road projects totalling 8,137 km in Calabar. The same month, it launched the distribution of Handheld Tiller Machines to farmers. On June 18, 2025, the NDDC commissioned its new State Office in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, while a day earlier, it inaugurated the Renewed Hope Multi-Purpose Training Centre in Otuokpoti, Bayelsa.

The Commission further recalled that between May 18 and May 28, 2024, it commissioned five key projects across Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Edo, and Ondo States. These included the 9km Obehie-Oke-Ikpe Road in Abia, the 25.7km Ogbia-Nembe Road in Bayelsa, a 1×15MVA electricity substation in Benin City, a 45km double-circuit feeder line in Ondo, and the Iko-Atabrikang-Akata-Opulom-Ikot Inwang-Okoroutip-Iwochang Road with the 600m Ibeno Bridge in Akwa Ibom.
The Commission added that it is working on more legacy projects such as the 1.2 km Kaa-Ataba Bridge in Rivers State, the Okrika-Borikiri Bridge, regional specialist hospitals in Ikom and Port Harcourt, the Bonny Ring Road in Rivers, and the Ikaa Bridge in Akwa Ibom.

The NDDC expressed disappointment that Sahara Reporters has “chosen the path of falsehood, publishing unverified allegations, recycling rumours, and undermining progress.”

It urged members of the public to disregard the publication and instead focus on the Commission’s achievements. “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,” the statement concluded.