By Magnus Chukwudi, Port Harcourt

President Bola Tinubu has called on public servants to uphold accountability in service to build trust, as he conferred the ‘Distinguished Award for Excellencein Infrastructure Delivery and Sustainable Regional Growth’, on the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, and other outstanding leaders.

Speaking at the third edition of the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service, NEAPS, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the President warned that weak sanction systems and lax oversight often fuel cynicism about governance.

President Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, said the excellence award initiative would challenge officials to raise standards because “they know the people are monitoring them.”

He observed, “The unsystematic enforcement of law and institutional mechanisms for holding civil servants and public officials accountable will always lead to a negative impression on the citizens.

“I wish that leaders would arise and stand up to be counted among leaders who have distinguished themselves to do the right thing and leave their footprints on the sands of time.”

The President argued that public service is a trust that must be exercised with “responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency,” adding that officers are expected to think creatively to solve citizens’ problems.

He observed that the excellence award organised by The Best Strategic Media in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation “relies on performance indices, not politics, to select honourees.”

The President said: “These awards are born out of empirical evidence of performance and not politics,” he said, commending recipients drawn from federal and state institutions, including some governors and ministers.

Speaking on the award, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Ogbuku, remarked that it showed that Nigerians appreciated the work the NDDC was doing in Nigeria’s oil-rich region.

He thanked President Tinubu and the NEAPS award committee for the honour, reaffirming his commitment to sustaining the pace of development and transforming the Niger Delta region.

Ogbuku noted: “This award serves as a motivation to continue driving the sustainable development of our region. We will continue to serve the needs of the people and enhance the quality of life for them.”

“This honour calls for more hard work, and we will not rest on our oars until we satisfy the yearnings of the people of the Niger Delta region and take development to the nooks and crannies of the region as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu’s administration.”

In a congratulatory message, the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, described the award conferred on Ogbuku as a testament to the innovations and progress, he brought into the management of the Commission.

He stated that Ogbuku was rightly chosen for the prestigious award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to nation-building, dedication to fostering progress and unrelenting pursuit of excellence.

Ebie noted: “The activities of the current Board and Management of the NDDC now resonate with the people of the Niger Delta region and beyond.”

The Chairman of the NEAPS Advisory Committee and a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Justice Mary Odili, observed that service excellence must never be taken for granted, stating: “Excellence in public service is a value we must continue to uphold.”

The NEAPS 2025 awards were presented to 44 distinguished Nigerians, in categories that include excellence in infrastructure service delivery, urban renewal, financial innovation, digital innovation, outstanding reform initiative, security management, transparency and open governance. ###.

By George Mgbeleke

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Sunday said it is prepared to join the ongoing protests by local contractors and pensioners across the country if the Federal Government fails to respond to their plight.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party condemned the Federal Government over its staggering debts to indigenous contractors and federal pensioners, saying it is a clear sign that the APC government does not care about the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.

The full statement read:

The ADC is deeply concerned by the MAY JOIN LOCAL CONTRACTORS, PENSIONERS PROTESTSplight of indigenous contractors who for several weeks have camped at the Federal Ministry of Finance with coffins, demanding to be paid for the work they have done.

We also stand in strong solidarity with pensioners who are now threatening to march naked in protest if the Federal Government fails to pay what it owed to them in long arrears of pensions.

No serious government allows things to deteriorate to the point where citizens must resort to coffins and naked protests before they are taken seriously. But this only further confirms that the APC government is insensitive and does not care about the damage that their actions or inactions do to the country’s image, and more importantly, to the livelihood of ordinary citizens.

What makes this even more troubling is that the same government responsible for this embarrassment keeps boasting about “meeting and surpassing revenue targets.” If our national finances are truly as strong as the government claims, why are contractors still owed over N500 billion for completed projects? Why are pensioners still waiting for increments and palliatives that were approved more than a year ago? You cannot claim revenue excellence while ordinary Nigerians are drowning in unpaid debts. Something is not adding up.

And, instead of this crisis, the APC-led government is busy distributing campaign vehicles, mobilising coordinators, and building structures for 2027. A government that cannot pay its own contractors and cannot honour its obligations to pensioners has absolutely no moral right to be campaigning for another term.
We have taken note of the untold suffering and humiliation that both the contractors and the pensioners have had to endure. This has to end now. The ADC is therefore prepared to march in solidarity with them if the government refuses to act immediately to address their plight.

ADC will continue to stand with all citizens who have been pushed into hardship by this APC-led federal government’s failures. Where this government destroys trust, we will rebuild it. Where they abandon their responsibilities, we will uphold them.”

By Our Correspondent

Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, Chairman of the factional Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Nyesom Wike-led PDP, has emphasized the importance of unity and adherence to party laws and guidelines.

Speaking on Sunday during the opening session of the BoT meeting at the Life Camp official residence of FCT Minister , Barr Nyesom Wike, Ohuabunwa pledged the group’s support for the National Working Committee (NWC) and efforts to reorganize affected states.

“We are going to work with this NWC, we are going to encourage them, we are going to support them to ensure that the right things are done, and that things will be done in line with the law and the guidance of our great party, the NWC. Like I said, we are also making meaningful progress in reorganizing affected states, including the Constitution of Credible Caretaker Committees, to prepare the ground for transparent congresses and subsequent convention process.

These efforts are aimed at building trust, strengthening internal structures, and ensuring that our party remains a model of fairness and inclusiveness in Nigerian democratic space.

“As the Constitution of our party entails, the Board of Trustees must continue to provide stability, wisdom, and moral guidance. Our responsibility is to safeguard the party’s soul, steer it away from divisive tendencies, and reinforce the values that have historically set the PDP apart as a disciplined and a democratically established institution. In this defining moment, therefore, we must rise above sentiments and act with unity of all.

“Our duty is clear, well stated, to consolidate the reforms already underway, deepen internal cohesion, and ensure that the People’s Democratic Party emerges stronger, more virile, more united, and fully prepared for the leadership responsibilities ahead. I thank you all for your steadfastness, for your dedication and commitment, and your loyalty to our great Party. This is the time we should stand to be counted”

“BOT is the conscience of the party, we are the moral compass, and we wouldn’t want to behave or become complicit. We must stand and face the truth, and ensure that this party stands to be counted at all times in our obedience to the laws of the Federation, the law of our party, and the guidelines of the regulatory body, which is the Independent national Electoral Commission. I want to thank you all for coming”.

The meeting, held amidst apparent internal party tensions, aims to consolidate reforms, deepen internal cohesion, and prepare the PDP for future leadership responsibilities.

The meeting reflects ongoing efforts within the PDP to address internal challenges and position itself for future electoral success.

“These efforts are aimed at building trust, strengthening internal structures, and ensuring that our party remains a model of fairness and inclusiveness in Nigerian democratic space”