Blessing Ibunge
The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Samuel Ogbuku, yesterday, dissociated himself from a recent report in the media attributing his rumoured arrest to the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.
In a release signed by Dr. Willie Etim, S.A Media to the MD of NDDC, Ogbuku condemned in very strong terms the news report attributed to a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which insinuated a rift between himself and the Governor, and cautioned that there was no rivalry in the APC family in Bayelsa State.
The statement added: “It is also important to clarify that any comments or opinions expressed by anyone on political matters in Bayelsa State should be regarded strictly as their personal views and not as a representation of the views or position of Dr. Ogbuku.
“The attempt to link the governor to political controversies or rumours of arrest is both misleading, mischievous and unnecessary.”
Kola Karim Urges Nigeria to Target 5 Million Barrels Daily
Chairman of Shoreline Group, Mr. Kola Karim, at the just-concluded ninth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, delivered a powerful reflection on leadership, energy, and Africa’s development future.
Speaking with Arise News Channel, Karim emphasised that Nigeria’s ambition in the oil and gas sector must be bolder, urging the nation to raise its target production to five million barrels per day by 2030, not three million.
Karim, who leads an industrial conglomerate focused on energy and infrastructure investments across Sub-Saharan Africa, described leadership as “the very core of globalisation,” stressing that both public and private sectors must share responsibility for societal progress.
“We often assume that leadership should concern itself solely with the public sector,” he said. “In reality, the social contract must be upheld by both public and private sectors, because true leadership is defined by the extent to which one is willing to serve—regardless of the arena
He explained that the relationship between business and community, what he calls the “social contract”, was essential to peace and progress. Drawing from his company’s experience, he cited the Niger Delta as a model for how engagement and mutual respect can sustain long-term business operations.
“Our social contract with the communities we engage in is what helps us build and run a successful, safe, secure business,” he noted.
Karim contrasted Saudi Arabia’s remarkable infrastructure transformation with the sluggish pace in Nigeria and much of Africa. He lauded the Kingdom’s disciplined approach, crediting its progress to long-term planning and consistent execution.
“It’s not that Nigeria and other African nations lack plans,” he said. “The real challenge lies in consistent execution and follow-through. What Saudi Arabia has achieved in recent years is remarkable—you can see visible progress every quarter.”
“It’s not like in Nigeria and African states we don’t have plans,” he said. “The problem is execution and sticking with the plan. What Saudi Arabia has done over the years is phenomenal, you see tangible differences every quarter.”
He underscored that Africa, despite holding over 26% of the world’s natural resources and boasting the youngest population on earth, continues to lag because “we focus more on who, rather than the construct of getting it done.”
Turning to Nigeria’s domestic reforms, Karim commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for introducing an executive order that increased the spending limit for operators in the oil and gas sector from $2 million to $10 million.
“Before now, $2 million wouldn’t even buy a compressor, which is essential to operate in oil and gas,” he explained. “The problem of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry isn’t about reserves—we have 47 billion barrels of oil and 210 trillion cubic feet of gas—it’s about aging infrastructure.”
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