The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, says that the shift from traditional fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources, particularly natural gas, creates economic opportunities for the Niger Delta region.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Coordinating Director of the Decade of Gas Initiative, Mr Ed Ubong, at the NDDC’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Ogbuku, said that the Commission was harnessing the Niger Delta region’s abundant natural resources to drive economic growth and sustainable development.
The Managing Director stated that the Commission has consistently aligned its programmes with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, particularly by promoting gas utilisation and the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
He noted that the Commission trained about 500 youths in CNG and autogas conversion earlier this year as part of efforts to prepare young people in the Niger Delta for emerging opportunities in the gas sector. “Gas is the future, and the NDDC is ready to embrace initiatives that position the Niger Delta to benefit from the opportunities inherent in the sector”, Ogbuku said.
He observed that the Federal Government’s gas development programmes would have far-reaching economic benefits for the region and assured that the Commission would continue discussions with the Decade of Gas Initiative to establish a mutually beneficial partnership.
Ogbuku noted that human capital development remains a core component of the Commission’s mandate, stressing that NDDC’s interventions extend beyond infrastructural development to include skills acquisition, capacity building, and economic empowerment programmes.
The Coordinating Director of the Decade of Gas Initiative, Mr Ed Ubong, said his organisation was eager to collaborate with the NDDC to advance gas development across the Niger Delta region.
He described the NDDC as a premier interventionist agency playing a critical role in the development of the Niger Delta, stressing that Nigeria’s quest for economic prosperity would be incomplete without fully harnessing its vast gas resources.
Ubong noted that President Bola Tinubu’s “Gas for Prosperity” agenda aligns with the objectives of the Decade of Gas Initiative, which seeks to expand gas production, improve domestic utilisation, and drive economic growth.
According to him, one of the major priorities was improving electricity generation through increased gas utilisation, with plans to significantly expand the country’s power generation capacity by 2030.
Ubong also highlighted efforts to make Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, commonly known as cooking gas, more affordable and accessible to Nigerians, noting that dedicated teams were working to address supply and pricing challenges.
He said the organisation was collaborating with relevant regulatory agencies to ensure appropriate pricing mechanisms for both cooking gas and transportation gas, while also promoting investments in gas infrastructure and capacity development.
The Coordinating Director disclosed that President Tinubu had approved a programme to distribute one million gas cylinders annually over a five-year period, targeting five million beneficiaries by 2030.
Ubong said the programme particularly seeks to empower women by creating a vibrant cooking gas economy in which women play active roles in distribution, retailing, refilling, and other value-chain activities.
He further revealed that after conducting regional launches across the six geopolitical zones, the Initiative is now moving to state-level implementation, with Bayelsa State scheduled to benefit from the next phase of the programme. “By the first week of July, we will commence the distribution of gas cylinders to women in Bayelsa State under the current programme,” he stated.
Ubong emphasised that collaboration with the NDDC would be crucial to the Initiative’s success in the Niger Delta and commended the NDDC Managing Director for his commitment to delivering impactful interventions in the region.
That Rufai Oseni/Peter Obi Interview: My Nominee for 2026 Oscar Award
By Seye Oladejo
I had always assumed that the finest dramatic performances were the exclusive preserve of Hollywood. However, after watching the recent interview between Rufai Oseni and Mr. Peter Obi on Arise Television, I may have just found my nominee for the 2026 Oscar Award.
Please note that the suggestion of the Oscar award is deliberate since Mr. Peter Obi is obsessed with examples from overseas.
The entire encounter was a fascinating piece of political theatre.
What made the performance even more remarkable was that the interviewer, Rufai Oseni, who is widely perceived as Mr. Obi’s unavowed and unrepentant supporter, could not resist confronting him with fundamental questions of governance. These were not tricky questions. They were basic, unavoidable issues that any presidential aspirant worthy of the office should have thoroughly reflected upon.
On matters of power generation and distribution, national security architecture, economic recovery, fiscal policy, and practical pathways to national development, Nigerians expected clarity, conviction and concrete policy alternatives. Instead, what they witnessed was an alarming absence of specificity and a resort to vague platitudes.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the interview was Mr. Obi’s apparent inability to provide direct and coherent answers to these fundamental national questions. Rather than articulate clear policy directions, he essentially appealed to Nigerians to trust him.
Trust him to do what exactly?
Trust is not a substitute for preparation. Trust is not a replacement for policy. Trust cannot stand in place of clearly thought-out solutions to Nigeria’s complex and multifaceted challenges.
For someone seeking to govern one of Africa’s largest economies and most complex democracies, such a response was, at best, an insult to our national psyche. At worst, it was the crude exposure of an unprepared presidential candidate who does not appear to be taking either himself or the enormity of the office he seeks seriously enough.
Nigeria’s challenges are far too profound to be entrusted to assumptions and vague promises. The issues of insecurity, energy sufficiency, unemployment, inflation, industrial growth and economic competitiveness require rigorous thinking, practical experience and demonstrable preparedness. Nigerians deserve to know not merely what is wrong with the country but precisely what alternatives are being proposed.
It is easy to criticise from the sidelines. Governance, however, demands substance over slogans and solutions over sentiments.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited an economy that required bold and difficult reforms. He chose to confront longstanding structural distortions through policies that many previous leaders had avoided. The removal of fuel subsidy, the liberalisation of the foreign exchange market, aggressive infrastructure investment and renewed efforts to strengthen the fiscal capacity of sub-national governments demonstrate a leadership prepared to make difficult choices in pursuit of long-term national recovery.
No administration should be immune from criticism, and no government can claim perfection. However, criticism itself must be accompanied by credible alternatives. The opposition owes Nigerians not merely a catalogue of complaints but a coherent blueprint for national renewal.
Unfortunately, the Rufai Oseni-Peter Obi interview exposed precisely the opposite. Even under questioning from an interviewer generally considered sympathetic to his political aspirations, Mr. Obi still appeared to be searching for answers to the most fundamental questions of governance.
That, perhaps, was the biggest revelation of the interview.
Equally deserving of scrutiny are Mr. Obi’s handlers and advisers, who continue to expose their principal to avoidable public embarrassment. One would have expected that after several instances of controversial public interventions, inconsistent data presentations and self-inflicted political wounds, those around him would insist on greater preparation and discipline before major media appearances.
Instead, the pattern persists. When Mr. Obi is not dishing out fishy and questionable statistics that are promptly challenged, he is busy exhibiting poor judgment on highly sensitive national issues that demand circumspection, balance and statesmanship. It raises legitimate concerns about the quality of advice he receives and whether there is any serious effort to prepare him for the exacting demands of national leadership.
For me, the interview was less a political engagement and more a dramatic production that unintentionally revealed the difference between popularity and preparedness, between rhetoric and readiness, and between ambition and capacity.
The office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is far too important to be entrusted to improvisation, guesswork or perpetual learning on the job. Leadership at that level requires demonstrated competence, sound judgment and a firm grasp of national complexities.
Indeed, if there remains any doubt about the wisdom of the choices Nigerians made in 2023, this interview has helped to dispel it. The encounter served as yet another reminder that Nigeria clearly dodged a bullet in the last presidential election.
If there were an Oscar category for Political Performance in a Television Interview, I would submit this production without hesitation as my nominee for the 2026 Award.
Nigeria deserves less theatre and more substance. The presidency is not an acting role. It demands preparation, vision, competence and the courage to present concrete solutions to difficult national questions. At this critical juncture in our national journey, what the country needs is not political theatre or perpetual experimentation, but prepared, competent and decisive leadership capable of navigating difficult realities and charting a clear path to national renewal.
Seye Oladejo, APC Chieftain, writes in from Lagos
Hate Speech Threatens Democracy, Development Ahead of 2027 Polls, NHRC Warns
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has raised concerns over the growing menace of hate speech in Nigeria, warning that inflammatory rhetoric could undermine democracy, trigger violence, and reverse the country’s developmental gains ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, said hate speech constitutes a direct violation of human rights and poses a grave threat to national peace, unity, and sustainable development.
In a statement issued on the occasion of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Ojukwu stressed that hate speech strips individuals of their dignity and violates the principles of equality and non-discrimination enshrined in Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He noted that although freedom of expression is a fundamental right, it does not extend to speech that incites hatred, hostility, discrimination, or violence against others.
According to him, Nigeria’s legal framework already criminalises such conduct, citing Sections 24 and 26 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, which prohibit the deliberate dissemination of offensive and inflammatory messages through digital platforms.
The human rights advocate, however, maintained that legislation alone cannot curb the menace, insisting that political leaders, traditional rulers, religious figures, media organisations, and citizens all have a responsibility to exercise restraint and promote responsible communication.
He warned that unchecked hate speech has the capacity to fuel divisions and sow the seeds of conflict.
“When communities are pitched against one another, public trust collapses, businesses shut down, schools close, and investments disappear. Conflict destroys infrastructure, displaces families, and reverses years of developmental gains. No nation can build on the ruins of hatred,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Ojukwu cautioned that hate speech could compromise the credibility of the electoral process and infringe on citizens’ rights to participate freely in democratic governance.
He warned that incendiary rhetoric could intimidate voters, suppress participation, and deepen Nigeria’s ethnic and religious fault lines.
“Hate speech is not harmless talk. It is a trigger for conflict, a brake on national development, and a betrayal of our shared humanity. Let us not allow this monster to spread ahead of the 2027 general elections. If we do, we will pay for it with lives, livelihoods, and the future of our democracy,” he said.
The Chief Human Rights Officer of Nigeria called on Nigerians to reject divisive narratives, verify information before sharing it, and promptly report incitement to violence and discriminatory conduct to relevant authorities.
He also pledged that the Commission would continue to monitor, document, and respond to incidents of hate speech across the country as part of its mandate to protect human rights and promote social cohesion.
