Edith CHUKU
As part of efforts to equip staff of the NDDC’s Corporate Affairs Department in Port Harcourt, with the necessary skills and knowledge to represent the Commission effectively, the Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has organized a three-day protocol and protection Bootcamp.
Ogbuku urged the participants to make the best use of the training and reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to delivering excellent services and a dignified engagement with stakeholders in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking during the training, the NDDC boss remarked that it would enhance their capacity to deliver excellent services and uphold the Commission’s dignity.
The managing director, who was represented by the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Mr. Ifedayo Abegunde, harped on the need for excellence and integrity in the Commission’s dealings with its stakeholders.
Ogbuku reminded the staff that the training was designed not only to enhance their knowledge but also to be an opportunity to strengthen their collective understanding of diplomatic protocol, security awareness, and the standards that define public service decorum.
The keynote speaker, Dr Emmanuel Metuaghan, highlighted the importance of protocol in defining organisational values and promoting international best practices.
He stressed the need for protocol officers to be dedicated and detail-oriented, particularly in event planning and execution.
Metuaghan further emphasised the role of protocol in enhancing partnership and opening global opportunities, noting that NDDC had built institutional trust in recent times.
In his remarks, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Ambassador Lawrence Obisakin, described protocol as the correct order of procedures in every event. He noted that protocol ensures orderliness, promotes efficiency, and upholds the dignity of office, and advised protocol officers to possess political awareness and maintain a high standard of dressing, stating that, “How you dress is how you will be addressed.”
