𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐀 𝐀𝐇𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐔𝐁𝐔: 𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐋 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐘’𝐒 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘

Dear Mr. President,

I wish to commend you for the commendable achievements your administration has recorded in the past year, particularly in the Niger Delta region and across the nation. Under your leadership, the Niger Delta has experienced a welcome period of peace, which has positively impacted crude oil production and other sectors of the economy.

However, I am compelled to write this open letter to urge you to disregard the baseless and unwarranted letter authored by one Michael Jonny against the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku.

It is evident that Dr. Samuel Ogbuku’s unwavering commitment to implementing your Renewed Hope Agenda for the Niger Delta, with transparency and integrity, would naturally provoke resistance from those who have thrived under the status quo that desperately requires reform. However, it is regrettable that such opposition has come so soon and from someone like Michael Jonny, who seems to be intimidated by the significant progress being made by the NDDC under Dr. Ogbuku’s leadership.

Michael Jonny’s comments display a gross insensitivity to the overall interests of the Niger Delta and its development. Dr. Ogbuku’s exceptional leadership and extraordinary achievements in advancing the region’s infrastructure and well-being deserve recognition, not baseless criticism.

Mr. President, I strongly advise you to focus on the pressing matters at hand, particularly the ongoing End Bad Government Protest in our country, and to ignore distractions from those like Michael Jonny, who are attempting to derail the progress being made in our region.

I must also assert, Mr. President, that one of your most commendable decisions for the Niger Delta was the appointment of Dr. Samuel Ogbuku as MD of the NDDC, along with Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro as Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Program. These two Ijaw sons are indeed perfect choices for their respective roles and are performing their duties with distinction. Their track records are verifiable and well-known among all genuine and well-meaning citizens of the Niger Delta.

I express my profound displeasure over Michael Jonny’s gross insensitivity and unwarranted letter. It is unfortunate that, at a time like this, some people choose not to acknowledge the truth about the positive changes occurring in our region. The impact of Dr. Ogbuku’s work within such a short period, including the construction of bridges, roads, and the “Operation Light Up Niger Delta” initiative with solar lights, is unprecedented in the history of the NDDC.

Mr. President, I can confidently state that Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, the Managing Director of the NDDC, has been impartial in his dealings and is leading an inclusive administration for the benefit of the Niger Delta and the country as a whole.

I also wish to express my sympathy for the current challenges facing our nation and urge you to take swift action to address these issues for the common good of all Nigerians. I particularly appeal to you to reconsider some of your policies, especially the removal of the fuel subsidy, as it has triggered many of the problems we are currently witnessing.

Lastly, I humbly request that you advise your cabinet members and aides to refrain from making unguarded and provocative statements that could destabilize the polity. I also urge Michael Jonny to allow you, Mr. President, to concentrate on addressing the critical issues at hand, rather than contributing to unnecessary distractions. He should instead focus on contributing ideas and solutions during this challenging period.

Yours sincerely,

𝐌𝐫. 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐮𝐟𝐮𝐬 𝐈𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐚
National Chairman PAP (Phase 2).