By Emem Idio, Yenagoa

Youths of Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State under the aegis of Ogbia Brotherhood Youth Council, OBYC, have hailed the confirmation of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, HRH Dr Samuel Ogbuku, as the paramount ruler of Ayakoro Community

The youths expressed their gratitude and commended the NDDC helmsman for accepting the confirmation of his installation as Duafa VI of Ayakoro Community following sustained pleas and pressure from elders, youths, women, traditional and political leaders, as well as the entire Ayakoro community.

In a statement in Yenagoa on Thursday, the National President of the Ogbia Brotherhood Youth Council (OBYC) and traditional youth leader of Ogbia Kingdom, Comrade Mipuru Joe Akaragha, described the installation and confirmation as a testament to the collective will of the Ayakoro people and the broader Ogbia nation, representing a fitting reward for Dr. Ogbuku’s resilience and unwavering commitment to the genuine growth and development of the community.

He recalled that the NDDC MD/CEO had initially declined to be confirmed as paramount ruler following the vacancy created by the passage of the former monarch, noting that the genuine pleas, deep concern, and earnest persuasion from his people ultimately moved him to reconsider.

Comrade Akaragha said as someone who has been intimately involved in the entire process and fully apprised of all developments, regards the MD’s reconsideration as a profound display of love for his people.

He said: “Despite the immense burdens of his current responsibilities as MD/CEO of the NDDC, he deemed it wise to heed the call of his people and shoulder the sacred responsibility of being the traditional custodian of the Ayakoro people, under the revered title of Daufa VI. For this act of selflessness, the people of Ayakoro and Ogbia and especially the youth populace whom Comrade Akaragha leads, remain eternally grateful.”

The youth leader further described the MD’s confirmation as divinely ordained, noting that when Dr. Ogbuku accepted this sacred responsibility from his people, rain fell, a sign that repeated itself during his confirmation and installation at the Ayakoro community pavilion. This, the OBYC President affirmed, stands as undeniable proof that the gods, Enai Ogbia, and the Almighty God have sanctioned this installation.

“To HRH Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, we say, thank you for being an uncommon leader, an instrument of sustainable development, a builder of men, a ruler deeply loved by his people, and a true traditional custodian of the ancient customs and norms of the Ogbia people, of which Ayakoro is an integral part,” Comrade Akaragha stated.