CALABAR (CONVERSEER) – Commissioner and Cross River State Representative at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Board, Rt. Hon. Orok Duke, has asserted that the state will eventually produce the Commission’s Managing Director, despite its current non-oil-producing status.
Duke made the declaration during the commissioning of the NDDC’s ultra-modern state office and other key projects in Calabar on Friday, 13th June 2025. He emphasised that the Managing Director position rotates among member states in line with the NDDC Act.
“The NDDC Chairmanship will rotate among the states of the Niger Delta. After Bayelsa, we are going to have a turn. One day, it will come to Cross River, whether we have zero production of oil or not,” Duke said.
He urged citizens and political actors in the state to remain actively engaged in national affairs, stressing that effective representation begins with local political organisation.
The ceremony, part of a multi-state project rollout to mark President Bola Tinubu’s second anniversary, saw the commissioning of the permanent NDDC Cross River State Secretariat, the rehabilitation of an 8.137-kilometre road network across Calabar South and Calabar Municipality, and the flag-off of handheld tiller distribution to farmers across the Niger Delta.
NDDC Managing Director Dr Samuel Ogbuku described the projects as part of the Commission’s transformation strategy aimed at strengthening institutional presence across the region.
“This is no longer the era of transaction but of transformation,” Ogbuku stated, stressing that, “This permanent structure in Calabar reflects our commitment to establishing a firm base in all nine Niger Delta states.”
Dr Ogbuku added that similar state offices were being opened in Bayelsa, Delta, and Edo States, assuring that Cross River would benefit from future projects as long as peace prevails.
Executive Director of Projects Victor Antai highlighted the agricultural interventions as a move to tackle poverty through improved productivity.
However, the ceremony was not without controversy. The Executive Chairman of Calabar Municipality, Hon. James Anam, disputed NDDC’s claim of rehabilitating the 8.137 km road, stating that the Nyanghasang construction was a state government initiative.
Despite the disagreement, the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, represented by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Hon. Pius Ankpo, expressed appreciation for the NDDC’s partnership.
The event also featured cultural performances and had in attendance the Minister of Regional Development, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, federal legislators, NDDC board members, traditional rulers, and community leaders.
