The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku (right), comforting Mrs Henrietta Albert Korubo Horsfall (middle) during her late husband's funeral service, Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall, at the Anglican Communion Ecclesiastical Diocese of Kalabari, Akuku-Toru LGA, Rivers State.
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has pledged to renovate the historic Memorial Hall of King J.T. Princewill, Amachree VII, in Buguma, Rivers State.
The commitment is part of the Commission's broader mandate to preserve the cultural identity and heritage of the Niger Delta region.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director, Corporate Affairs of the NDDC, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, on November 2, 2026.
According to the statement, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, made the pledge when he addressed the Kalabari Traditional Rulers Council at the palace of the Regent of the Kalabari Kingdom, Chief Charles Numbere Princewill, in Buguma.
Ogbuku, who led a high-profile delegation of the NDDC Management and staff, alongside former staff of the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission, OMPADEC, to pay last respects to the pioneer Chairman of OMPADEC, late Pa Albert Korubo Horsfall, said the Commission's vision for regional development goes beyond physical infrastructure.
“Our development mandate goes beyond the construction of roads, bridges, and other physical infrastructure. It also entails preserving our history, culture, and heritage, which are essential to our identity as a people. We must ensure that these enduring legacies are protected and sustained for present and future generations,” Ogbuku said.
He noted that the Memorial Hall of King J.T. Princewill stands as a monumental landmark representing the rich history, traditional heritage and enduring identity of the Kalabari people, adding that the rehabilitation project aims to restore the facility into a beacon of historical pride for community members and visitors.
The NDDC boss also described the visit as a tribute to late Pa Albert Korubo Horsfall, whose foundational leadership at OMPADEC paved the way for modern regional development interventions across the Niger Delta.
He described Horsfall's passing as a profound loss not only to his immediate family and the Kalabari Kingdom but to the entire Niger Delta, acknowledging his immense contributions to the genesis of development administration in the region.
In his response, the Regent of the Kalabari Kingdom, Chief Charles Numbere Princewill, thanked the NDDC delegation for honouring the late elder statesman and welcomed the Commission's commitment to safeguarding the kingdom's historic landmarks.
