By OFONIME UMANAH
He is a rare breed- humane and urbane, ubiquitous and sagacious, nifty and savvy. He is not just debonair, he is dapper, consistently consistent in style, character and gallantry.
His parents must have trained him very well in the art and practice of humility. From his days as a major player in the Ijaw struggle, till his days as chief of staff, Government House under the then governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, Dr Samuel Ogbuku has not changed in his humble mien and affable disposition.
Take the present scenario: You are at the headquarters of the NDDC by 10am on a typical visiting day and Ogbuku, the managing director is in the office. Whoever you are, you are not denied entry. As you arrive, you meet hundreds of others who are also waiting to see the same person. From the lobby, the crowd you meet is frightening. You find your way to the floor where the MD’s office is. There, you find an even more frightening crowd, the type you see whenever free food is being shared to the hoi-polloi, by politicians.
At some point, the doors of his entire office area are thrown open and everybody gets in. You either lean on the wall, or sit on available tables, or stand akimbo. If you are among the lucky ones, you get a seat. Time check-9pm and the man is still listening to everyone, patiently, quietly, and sometimes with infectious smiles.
He is there till 10pm and would not want to leave the office until he has seen and heard from the last person. So, everyone leaves satisfied that they saw and spoke, one on one, with the managing director himself.
He may not meet their needs immediately. No. Not at all. But all those who visit the NDDC complex are wont to leave the place very fulfilled, that they were listened to by a man who superintends over the affairs of the nine Niger Delta states, where the streets and roads have been illuminated and decorated with solar powered lights.
That is how Ogbuku has demystified the office of MD, NDDC; same way he has redefined the leadership and governance of the interventionist agency. And he is doing it with dignified grace. His fans, associates, friends, family and bosses are celebrating him as he attains the golden age, on Tuesday, August 19.
Born on August 19, 1975, in Ayakoro, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Ogbuku’s educational journey began at Christ the King School in Port Harcourt. He later attended Government Secondary School, Borokiri, Port Harcourt, before proceeding to the University of Port Harcourt, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in political and administrative studies in 2000. He furthered his education with a Post Graduate Diploma, PGD, in Sociology, Industrial Relations, and Personnel Management in 2002, a Master’s degree in 2013 and a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, in Political and Administrative Studies in 2021.
Many may not know that Ogbuku is a successful farmer, But they may have known that he worked as Chief of Staff underSylva, between 2007 and 2012, Senior Special Assistant on Niger Delta Affairs to Senator Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, before he was appointed into the current position, first in 2022 and then in 2023 for a fresh term of four years, implying that he will be in office till 2027.
As managing director of NDDC, Ogbuku has not hidden or pretended about his agenda for the Niger Delta. Besides the decision to light up the entire region, construct fresh internal and major roads and bridges, he has refused to ignore all the projects that were initiated but abandoned by successive administrations.
The only legacy he has decided to ignore is the transactional ideals of yesterday’s NDDC. When he came on board, he decided to end the era of transactions, while launching the regime of transformation. Which is why, every where you go, in his ubiquitous characteristic, he is taking projects to every nook and cranny of the region.
At 50, Ogbuku has not just become a phenomenon in the Niger Delta, he is nifty, always smiling even in the midst of the storm.
