The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has suspended the commissioning of its completed projects across the region in honour of the late Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Daniel Alabrah, following a condolence visit by the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, who led the commission’s management team to Government House, Yenagoa, to commiserate with Governor Douye Diri and the Ewhrudjakpo family.
According to the statement, Dr. Ogbuku said the commission had planned to commence its end-of-year project inaugurations on Tuesday, December 16, with the commissioning of the 700-bed President Bola Tinubu Hostel at the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, but decided to put the exercise on hold in respect of the late deputy governor, who passed away on December 11. He added that all other scheduled inaugurations had also been suspended in solidarity with the Bayelsa State Government during the period of mourning.
Dr. Ogbuku described the relationship between the NDDC and Bayelsa State as cordial and productive, noting that the partnership had yielded significant development outcomes for the state.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, also led a high-powered delegation to Government House, conveying President Bola Tinubu’s condolences to the Bayelsa State Government and the Ewhrudjakpo family. Lokpobiri said he received the news of the deputy governor’s death with shock and sadness, describing him as a committed public servant whose contributions to the state and humanity would not be forgotten.
Similarly, the leadership of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), led by its National Chairman, Dr. Boladei Igali, paid a condolence visit and described the late Ewhrudjakpo as a key figure in the development of Bayelsa State. Igali noted that the working relationship between Governor Diri and his late deputy was exemplary and admired across the country.
Responding on behalf of the state government and the Ewhrudjakpo family, Governor Douye Diri expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for his personal call and condolence message. He also thanked the NDDC, PANDEF, and other leaders for their show of love and solidarity, emphasizing the importance of unity among political leaders in the state at this time of loss.
