The University of Ibadan (UI) has honoured the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, with the UI @75 Ambassador Extraordinaire Award of the university.
The honorary award ceremony took place at as part of events held in commemoration of UI's 75 years of existence.
This conferment is coming in recognition of Dr. Ogbuku's contributions and landmark achievements recorded both in his career and philanthropic works.
Within a very short time in assuming office, he has shown that he is on a mission to rehape the socio-ecomomic landscape of Nigeria's oil-rich region.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale, in his remarks at the event in NDDC House PortHacourt, gave a brief history of the institution, and highlighting some of its accomplishments, while noting that the celebration of UI at 75 will help galvanize interests in a participatory programme that will last a year, ending in November 2024.
The programme is centered on bringing development to the institution and opening of opportunities in the form of scholarships to a good number of students.
Professor Adebowale said that as part of the celebration, the university has beamed its searchlight to identify the institution's alumni, and friends of the university, who are all over the world, whose trajectory has impacted positively on the society in both the public and private sectors.
"The vision of the University of Ibadan is to be a world class institution for academic excellence that is geared towards meeting societal needs. And it is our belief that the value and passion of Dr. Ogboku clearly aligns with the vision of the University of Ibadan," the professor stated.
On his part, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku appreciated the school’s management for the conferment, while dedicating the award to the staff and management of the NDDC, whom he described as the source of encouragement and achievements of the commission.
He mentioned that the award was a motivation to do more for the people of the Niger Delta according to the commission's mandate and in line with the federal government's Renewed Hope agenda.
Dr. Samuel Ogbuku noted that the conferment of the UI @75 Ambassador Extraordinaire on him was a recognition of the achievements of the commission over the years, and particularly in his administration which is determined to address the long-standing infrastructural deficits in the Niger Delta region and building a strong institution, empowering communities and promoting sustainable development across the Niger Delta.
The NDDC Boss said his administration has regularized the NDDC Foreign Postgraduates Scholarship Programme, which has benefited 2,700 students.
While commenting more on its achievements, he mentioned that numerous schools have been rehabilitated, and educational materials such as the U-Lesson Educational tablets, have been distributed to foster learning and equip younger generations with skills and knowledge to drive the regions to better development in the future.
Ogbuku further encouraged Nigerian universities and other institutions to collaborate with the University of Ibadan to conduct researches that will profer solutions to problems in the Niger Delta region, noting that as a commission, the NDDC is willing to fund researches that solve problems associated with global warming; food scarcity, ecological problems, erosion, ocean surge, rising sea level etc.
Some other awardees of the University's ambassador award include the Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum.
