Pauline Onyibe 
The sleepy community of Otuasega in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State came alive on April 3, 2025 when it played host to the visiting First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
It was a historic day as it elicited joy and celebration among the local who came in their numbers, all looking radiant and colourful, to welcome the First Lady to their laid back community.
The occasion was the commissioning and flag-off of projects by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in partnership with the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative.
The event was joyous and momentous one, with the Managing Director of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, heading the delegation of NDDC to the function.
The list of the projects included the renovated Otuasega Cottage Hospital fully fitted and equipped with model medical equipment; ultra-modern bed operating theatre; labour and delivery room; hundred KVA soundproof generator; sixty KVA solar power system; and digital colour double ultra sound system.
Also commissioned was a newly built community secondary school, alongside donation of text books, desks and benches as well as medical outreach that brought great relief to the people, who for years have lagged behind in different developmental projects.
Healthcare
Speaking during the event, the First Lady assured the community of the community of the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to their development and wellbeing.
She disclosed that Tinubu’s administration is committed to providing accessible and affordable healthcare to the rural communities in the Niger Delta region.
She explained that the introduction of health insurance scheme was specifically designed to cover rural communities in the Niger Delta, adding that, “it will provide thousands of families access to affordable and reliable medical care.
The First Lady also expressed her delight at visiting the community and Bayelsa State, saying, ‘‘I’m honoured to be in Bayelsa State after my first visit, and it is a great delight for me to officially flag-off the NDDC medical outreach programme, health insurance scheme and the distribution of school desks, benches and textbooks in collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative.
“The beneficiaries of this programme are the nine states of the Niger Delta region, namely; Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Rivers, Edo, Imo, Abia and Ondo states, with Bayelsa State graciously hosting us today.
“The NDDC/RHI collaboration began in 2024 to provide further supports in critical areas of development by empowering communities and improving the quality of lives in the Niger Delta Region in line with our renewed hope initiative model towards a better life for families.
“You may recall that the NDDC earlier interventions in Education provided over forty-five thousand preloaded educational tablets and textbooks to primary schools, junior and senior secondary school students in both Urban and Rural Communities in all the NDDC States.
“Also, the NDDC/RHI internship scheme has begun disbursing N50, 000 monthly stipends to 500 preidentified beneficiaries for a period of one year in all the nine NNDC states, through the office of the state first ladies. This is more like a conditional cash transfer.
“Today, the medical outreach programme which I was told is conducted quarterly is aimed at delivering special health services directly to the communities. “It will address common health issues, provide preventive care and raise awareness about health concerns that is proportionately affecting rural residents, particularly in the area of maternal and child health.
“In addition, there is donation of eleven fully equipped ambulances along with the supply of personal protective equipment to enhance healthcare delivery and emergency response, health facilities in each NDDC States, which will be given one ambulance each while Bayelsa and Delta will be given two ambulances each.
“This contribution will significantly aid in saving lives and ensure that the various communities receive prompt medical attention when needed.
“Also, the introduction of health insurance scheme that is specifically designed to cover rural communities in the Niger Delta will provide thousands of families with access to affordable and reliable medical care.
That is why, there is distribution of thirty two thousand school desks and benches to public school which will ensure that children learn in more comfortable and conducive environment.’’
Ogbuku
While Ogbuku said the essence of the partnership between Renewed Hope Initiative and NDDC is to make sure the commission delivers the dividends of development in the areas of health, education and other social services that affect women, children and youth in the Niger Delta region.
He said all the programmes of the commission are embedded under the dividends of Renewed Hope Initiative, adding that Renewed Hope Initiative is delivering through NDDC.
Ogbuku, who is from the community expressed joy in welcoming the First Lady to his community, saying, “I formerly welcome you to my local government and thank you for saying that charity begins at home.
I said I have the opportunity of bringing her Excellency to Bayelsa State, at least let me bring her home for the benefit of my people, so that they can have a glimpse of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The people of the Niger Delta today will allude to the fact that NDDC today is a different NDDC because we have the supervision of the President, who always calls to know what is happening on the Niger Delta.
“The essence of the partnership between renewed hope and NDDC is to enable the NDDC work harder to deliver the dividends of development in the area of health education and other social services that affect women and children and the youths in the Niger Delta.
‘‘In the past one month, NDDC has been on the road, we started with commissioning of projects that were carried out within the last one year under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President.
“NDDC may not have told its stories before now hence a lot of people have the negativities about NDDC but I can assure you that the only government projects you find in most of our rural communities are NDDC projects.
Most of these projects were never celebrated but we are here to tell our own story. “NDDC I can assure you is ready to deliver the dividends of development and the dividends of Renewed Hope.
Hence our series of commissioning and all our programmes are embedded under the dividends of Renewed Hope Initiative. “We are achieving this because Mr President has given us a minister who do not also allow us to rest.
He believes we must implement the philosophy and the ideals of renewed hope to the latter. And for people to know that NDDC under renewed hope is different NDDC, the people of Niger Delta can allude to the fact that NDDC today is a different NDDC.
“In our 25 years celebration, we must celebrate the sweat of our people and the courage of our people. NDDC was an act of parliament. The president as at that time refused to sign it into law but parliamentarians from this region forced that act to come to life. We must celebrate their legacies.’’
Momoh
Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh disclosed that this was the second time that NDDC was witnessing collaboration between it and the Renewed Hope Initiative, saying, “we are indeed very glad that we are able to key into the programme of the Renewed Hope Initiative of the First Lady.
“When you talk about health, you are talking about the productive nature of the nation itself. There cannot be a productive nation if meaningful effort is not directed towards the health system of that nation.
“The event we are witnessing today is the second in the series and once I took over as Minister. Last year, the NDDC embarked on this kind of programme across the eleven states of the Niger Delta region.
“It will be recalled that last year alone, we had collaboration with the office of the first Lady. About thirty two thousand patients were treated.
“I therefore use this opportunity to call on other regional development commissions that are just coming up to find time to read through the programmes of the renewed hope initiative of the first Lady and key into them so that more meaningful development will escalate to other parts of the country.
“The performance of NDDC today is as a result of what Mr President is doing. If Mr President doesn’t want NDDC to work, by now, we would have had a lot of stories and fighting here and there.
But for me as a minister supervising NDDC for one day I don’t think that Mr President has had any negative comment made against NDDC.’’
Partnership efforts
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri appreciated the federal government for the number of developmental projects executed in the state, especially the linking of roads to some coastal communities.
He said that more partnerships are needed between Niger Delta state governments, including his administration, and NDDC to bring more developments to the Niger Delta region.
This is as he noted, “I have never met your husband in the whole of my political life until the past election and a level playing field was there for Bayelsa that whoever that is popular should go and win.
That I’m a Democrat and I will behave like a Democrat and that is why today I can stand here again as governor because your husband behaved like a proper democrat that he is.
“I was thinking that my younger brother will welcome you and I will join him to welcome you on behalf of the state but he decided to welcome you on behalf of Ogbia.
