Governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu, has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission for what he described as significant development strides across the Niger Delta, aligning with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Otu gave the commendation while receiving members of the National Assembly Committees on NDDC, who were in the state on oversight inspection of the Calabar–Odukpani–Akamkpa–Ogoja road rehabilitation project.
The delegation, led by Asuquo Ekpenyong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on NDDC, and Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, Chair of the House Committee on NDDC, also included the Commission’s Managing Director, Samuel Ogbuku.
Addressing the team at Government House, Calabar, the governor said the synergy between the state and the Commission had “changed the face of the Niger Delta,” adding that visible improvements were evident to ordinary citizens across the region.
He attributed the progress to the policy direction of President Bola Tinubu, noting that the administration’s support had strengthened the Commission’s capacity to tackle longstanding infrastructural challenges.
Earlier, Ekpenyong said the joint committees were in the state to carry out their constitutional oversight functions, noting that the road project—long advocated by the state government—had now become a reality. He described the corridor as critical to the movement of petroleum products, agricultural goods and solid minerals within and beyond the state.
In her remarks, Ibori-Suenu commended the governor’s developmental efforts and attention to detail, describing his contributions as impactful at both state and national levels.
At the project site, Ogbuku characterised the Calabar–Odukpani–Akamkpa–Ogoja road as a strategic trans-regional link connecting the South-South, South-East and North-Central zones. He said the intervention followed a directive by President Tinubu to fast-track its rehabilitation.
According to him, phases one and two of the project, covering 27.5 kilometres, have been completed, with other sections progressing steadily. He added that the Commission’s evolving public-private partnership model was delivering results, citing ongoing infrastructure projects across the region.
Ogbuku also emphasised improved collaboration between the Commission and state governments, describing the agency’s shift as one “from transaction to transformation.”
Officials said the project would significantly ease vehicular movement and enhance economic activities across multiple regions, reinforcing the NDDC’s mandate to drive sustainable development in the Niger Delta.
