Ogbia Leaders Meet Tinubu, Back Re-election, Seek More Federal Attention

Ogbia Kingdom in Bayelsa and Rivers states on Wednesday,  formally called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to contest the 2027 presidential election, pledging the full political backing of the kingdom in appreciation of what they described as his inclusive leadership and tangible development interventions in the Niger Delta.

The call was made at the State House, Abuja, during an official thank-you visit led by the paramount ruler of Ogbia Kingdom, Obanobhan III, King Dumaro Charles Dwaba.

In a speech read on behalf of the delegation by one of the traditional rulers on the entourage, King Collins Daniel, Ogbia Kingdom pledged the unalloyed support of its people for the success of the President's efforts at building a greater Nigeria, lauding him for his commitment to inclusive development.

“In light of the above, it is our firm belief that Mr President has done us well and as such we cannot help but to reciprocate your kind gesture by inviting Mr President to contest the next Presidential election. You have the full support of the Ogbia Kingdom. Mr President, we are behind you”, King Daniel said.

The delegation led by the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, said it had come to express appreciation for President Tinubu’s leadership style and the confidence he had reposed in sons and daughters of Ogbia through key national appointments, which it said had rekindled hope and reinforced faith in his administration.

“We have come first and foremost to express our heartfelt appreciation for your inclusive leadership and the confidence you have reposed in our sons and daughters through their recent appointments and re-appointments into key national positions,” the delegation stated, describing the appointments as “a powerful affirmation of our people’s faith in your administration.”

Those acknowledged include Justice Moore Abraham Aseima Adumein of the Supreme Court; Dr Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Sir Tonye Okio, Federal Character Commission commissioner representing Bayelsa State; and Barrister Fernandez Marcus-Obiene, Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reform and ICT/Digital and Innovative Technology.

The Ogbia leaders singled out the performance of the NDDC under Dr Ogbuku, noting that since his appointment on August 29, 2023, communities across Ogbia Kingdom and the wider Niger Delta had witnessed “unprecedented infrastructural and human capital development.”

“Suffice it to say that virtually every community in Ogbia Kingdom and in the Niger Delta now enjoy solar lights at night, which has significantly illuminated the Niger Delta and boosted economic activities,” the delegation said, adding that the interventions had “to a large extent curbed insecurity in the Kingdom and the entire region.”

They listed road construction, ecological projects, upgraded health facilities and youth empowerment programmes such as Project HOPE in technology, agriculture, arts and green energy as part of the NDDC’s achievements, describing President Tinubu’s choice of Dr Ogbuku as “not misplaced.”

“Your appointment of Dr Samuel Ogbuku sends a clear message of your confidence in indigenous leadership and reinforces the trust of the Niger Delta people in your Renewed Hope Agenda,” the delegation said.

The Ogbia people also commended ongoing federal projects in their area, including the Oloibiri Oil Museum and Research Centre, the rehabilitation of the Ogbia section of the Ogbia–Nembe–Brass Road, and the construction of the Otuogori–Otuegwe Bridge along the Ekole River.

Recalling the kingdom’s historical contributions to Nigeria, the delegation described Ogbia as “the cradle of Nigeria’s oil industry,” noting that crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity at Oloibiri in 1956, an event that “fundamentally transformed Nigeria’s economic destiny.”

Beyond oil, they said Ogbia had made defining sacrifices for national unity, citing the 1959 pre-independence political alliance led by Chief Melford Okilo and the 2015 concession of defeat by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Those critical moments clearly demonstrated that the people of Ogbia have consistently believed in, and sacrificed for, one indivisible Nigeria. Our contributions to the Nigerian project have been profound and enduring”,” the visitors said.

On that basis, the kingdom said it deserved “greater attention, recognition and development support, not as a favour, but as a just acknowledgment of our place in Nigeria’s history,” and presented specific requests to the President, including the establishment of an Institute of Energy and Petroleum Studies in Ogbia, partnership on the Akaba–Emadike Road, and shoreline protection for coastal communities threatened by erosion.

The delegation concluded by assuring President Tinubu of its “unalloyed loyalty and support,” inviting him to visit Ogbia Kingdom and praying for wisdom and strength as he leads the country.

“May God Almighty continue to grant you wisdom, strength and good health as you steer the affairs of our great nation,” the delegation said.

Responding, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assured the delegation that his administration would work closely with Niger Delta indigenes serving in government, particularly the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, to deepen development efforts in the region.

“We cannot excuse the neglect of the past, but living in the past will do us no good, except take it and run with it now, carefully,” Tinubu said.