.

A Ndokwa group, Organised Ndokwa Effort, (ONE) has congratulated the new Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mrs Lauretta Onochie, on her appointment as the Chairman of the intervention agency as it also commended President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government in what the group described as one of the best decisions of his administration.

This was contained in a January 5th-dated letter to the newly appointed NDDC boss, asking her to see the appointment as a call to service, urging her to steer the ship of the agency to safety and leave a footprint of superlative service to humanity in her administration; stressing the need to reengineer a new and productive administration that will mark a clear departure from the checkered history of the NDDC board.

The statement, which was signed by the trio of the Chairman, Okei Ossai Udom, the Coordinator, Rodney Odibe Odili-Obi and a Principal member, Dr Ezenwa Nwakonobi, described ONE as a socio-cultural organization promoting the progress and development of the Ndokwa people in the major oil & gas producing environment, comprising of Ndokwa-East, Ndokwa-West and Ukwuani Local Government Areas of Delta State, South-South Nigeria.

The letter said: “We would like to join with the numerous well-wishers to heartily congratulate you, on your well-deserved appointment as the Chairman of the NDDC which further confirms the confidence President Buhari has in your abilities to handle very high responsibilities at all times. Confident in your capacity to deliver on your mandate on the board of the NDDC, our people are proud to be associated with you.

“This was robustly expressed in our earlier appreciation and appeal letter of November 21, 2022 to the President on the wake of your historic appointment to this exalted position by him in which we stated inter alia that; “We thank you, for recognizing the Delta North Senatorial District as worthy of a nominee for the Board Chairmanship of the Intervention Agency in the person of Lauretta Onochie.”

“We trust that you already have a well-prepared blueprint, as we believe that your leadership efficiency will enhance a vibrant development of the Niger Delta region to sustain peace across the region. As a true leader and a wise listener with an uncommon personal principle, you are indeed capable of leading the NDDC in the right direction.” The letter reads in part.

Stressing further, the Udom led group said the entire Ukwuani and Ndosumili speaking people of the Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency are elated that the President had finally heed the call by the citizens to right the wrongs of the past and to this end, it is believed that Mrs Onochie will birth a new agency that will not only develop the infrastructure in the Niger Delta region but will also erase the past misgivings in terms of human development that it noted the youth population of the region seek much more than anything else.

The statement stressed further that: “ONE will continue to give you every bold backup support as we also pray that the Almighty God continues endowing you with wisdom and strength to carry out the responsibilities of your office with excellence; complement your virtues with buoyant health, ensure your success in office, and protect you against the background of the pervasive insecurity in Nigeria which is one of the challenges confronting us today although not pecuniary to our nation.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees and National Executive Council NEC of the ONE, please accept the highest esteem of our greetings, warmest congratulations, and support always,” the Ossai Udom led group said.

The group urged people of the Niger Delta region to rally round for the new board to succeed noting, “Mrs Onochie is a detribalised person, who doesn’t pander to administrative vices,” adding “her reign will mark the beginning of new era in the development of the region.”