The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has been named Public Servant of the Year by Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited, publishers of New Telegraph Newspapers, in recognition of his development strides since assuming office.

Ogbuku will be formally conferred with the award at the 8th edition of the Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited Annual Awards, scheduled for February 13, 2026, at the prestigious Oriental Hotel in Lagos.

The event is expected to attract governors, senior public officials, captains of industry and other prominent personalities. The NDDC Managing Director received the official letter of notification at the Commission’s corporate headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited, Mr Ayodele Aminu, alongside the Daily Editor of New Telegraph, Juliet Bumah.

Expressing appreciation for the honour, Ogbuku dedicated the award to the management and staff of the NDDC, noting that it followed other recognitions he had received for “turning around the story of the Commission.” He expressed delight about the honour and added that the NDDC, under his leadership, prioritised accountability and probity, adding that sustained efforts are being made to ensure transparency through digitisation of operations.

“We prioritised accountability and probity, and we are ensuring that whatever we do is computerised. We are stepping up our game. This honour is telling us to do better,” he remarked. Ogbuku stated that the Commission has no excuse not to perform, given the support of President Bola Tinubu and the enabling legislative backing from the National Assembly.

“We are driven by the zeal of the President in the actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda. He has given us a clear mandate on how the NDDC can develop the region and we provide him with periodic reports. “We also enjoy strong support from the Senate Committee on the NDDC. With this level of backing, we have no reason not to succeed,” he added.