Socio-economic, Infrastructural and Human Capital Development Blitz: The Ebie Example -By Jerome-Mario Utomi

Barrister Chiedu Ebie, Chairman, Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC was not physically present at the colourful event, yet his presence was powerfully felt via the flowery effusive praises lavished on him by stakeholders, participants and various speakers. He was virtually the main item of discourse, of speeches and of commendation at the event. And why? His name was a recurring refrain of praises and adulation on many lips because of the unprecedented contributions to the socio-economic, infrastructural and human capital development of the Niger Delta, his Ika nation inclusive!

For the records, Barrister Ebie, enjoys respect and adoration by his people, the Ika ancient nation. His steadfast love and selfless service to the people are undiluted.

The people in turn have never been tired of voicing their heartfelt appreciation to Ebie. At every juncture, they let it known to the world that their illustrious son is selfless, a pathfinder, an achiever and goal-oriented whose public service trajectory bears testimony to John Mason’s timeless postulation: “The world is divided into people who do things and people who talk about doing things”

At the event, Ebie was fervently praised by Ika youths for his unprecedented infrastructure and human capital development attracted to the area, describing his leadership style as inclusive and people focussed.

The event was the 2025 International Youth Day celebration and venue was the Trinity Event Centre, Owa Ekei Road, Boji-Boji Urban, Ika North-East local government area of Delta state. The venue was decorated to impress, and it did impress. The participants were corporately kitted: Youths drawn from all segments of the Ika nation. Gaily dressed in corporate apparels and looking resplendent in them, they could easily be mistaken for fresh law graduates being called to the Nigerian Bar or shareholders at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) but NO! The participants were youths, brimming with positive energy, burning with zeal and passion, and desirous of making something positively out of life through skill and tech. And indeed, they listened with rapt attention as various speakers spoke ambition and success into their hearts.

The 2025 International Youth Day celebration, which had as a theme, “Youth Advancement and Cooperation Through Technology and Partnership” was powered by the NDDC and it exposed the youths to the beautiful realities of skill and tech in today’s world. As expected, the event featured well-researched and outlined topics for discussion and the youths were made to understand that future wealth generator, future goldmine is skill, tech and innovative digital ideas and skills.

Just as stakeholders, speakers and participants were generous with effusive praises for Ebie, so were they also for the NDDC. They commended the management and board of the Commission for preparing the region’s youths for the future through various youth initiatives. They also harped on the need for the region’s youths to embrace technology, skills acquisition, and innovation as pathways to sustainable development and social transformation.

Welcoming participants to the event, the NDDC’s Executive Director, Finance, Mrs. Josephine Ejereye disclosed that the Youth Day celebration was aimed at advancing multilateral cooperation through technology and partnership.

She urged the youths to apply lessons from the engagement to impact their world positively, noting that the Commission was committed to creating opportunities for young people across the region.

Also speaking, United Nations, UN Peace Ambassador and Senior Special Assistant to the Delta State Governor on Talent Development, Amb. Ugagaoghene Ogheneyole was full of praises for the NDDC board led by Barrister Ebie for bringing vitality and value to the Commission, describing the current leadership as “a truly interventionist body delivering quality, people-oriented, and immensely important infrastructure across the region.” He called on young people to embrace digital skills as tools for problem-solving and regional growth.

Ogheneyole noted that the present era is one of digitalization, where technology is indispensable for addressing human needs, listing computer literacy, artificial intelligence, data science, coding, audiovisual design, UI/UX, and digital marketing as skills in high demand across industries.

He emphasized the need for the NDDC to move beyond physical infrastructure to continue to invest in human capital through digital incubation centres, grants, and venture capital for youth-driven innovations.

“The Silicon Valley did not grow into an over a trillion-dollar industrial ecosystem because of great ideas alone. Its major driving force was conscious investment in youth ideas through grants, sponsorship deals, and venture capital. If the NDDC and other stakeholders can intentionally invest in the dreams of young people carrying laptops around with big visions, the Niger Delta will reap the benefits of job creation, improved GDP, and capital market growth,” he said.

Pledging his personal commitment to the process, Ogheneyole said he is willing to volunteer to work with the NDDC for free to design a roadmap for youth-driven innovation. “As a youth of Niger Delta, I am pledging to volunteer, to work with the NDDC to develop a realistic initiative to drive this process. Let us become the change we want to see,” he told the gathering.

In his presentation titled “Youth as Frontiers of Positive Change in the Niger Delta” the Executive Director of the Centre for Core Values, Leadership and Orientation, Abuja, Barrister. Eugene Uzum, described Niger Delta youths as critical drivers of sustainable development, explaining that with more than 54 percent of Delta State’s estimated 5.9 million population falling within the youth bracket, the demographic advantage could stimulate massive growth if given the right opportunities.

Uzum, a former Director-General of the Delta State Orientation Bureau, identified four pillars for meaningful youth contribution empowerment, innovation, community engagement, and sustainable development. He stressed that empowerment through education, mindset reorientation, and access to financial and technical resources was “primus in the scheme of determinants” for change.

Uzum noted that many young people in the region were already leveraging technology, entrepreneurship, and creative solutions to tackle local challenges. According to him, initiatives in environmental conservation, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, and civic responsibility could reposition the region for growth.

“Youth-led initiatives are already driving positive change in the Niger Delta, promoting sustainable development and good governance,” he said.

While acknowledging challenges such as insecurity, corruption, and limited resources, Uzum insisted that with proper support, young people could transform the region. He urged youths to take personal responsibility for their progress, admonishing that “going far in life is not determined by where you start from, or even whether you start at all. Life is actually what you put into it. Nobody owes you a living”.

The event was organised by the NDDC in partnership with the Noble Hope Empowerment Foundation. Speaking during the celebration which brought together youths from across Delta State to discuss opportunities in technology, leadership, and partnership as a pathway for growth and cooperation, Mr. Ikechukwu Sylvester, youth leader in Ika North-East Local Government Area, lauded Barrister Ebie’s unwavering commitment toward the infrastructure provision and sustainable development of Ika nation and immense contributions of the current Board and Management of NDDC to the Niger Delta’s development.

He said: “The man, Chiedu Ebie, has done well. Things like this have never been done here before. All the street lights you are seeing in Ika today were put in place by this man. We thank God for him, and we also pray that God will continue to strengthen President Tinubu, who gave us this kind of person in the Niger Delta.”

Egime Juliet, another participant, expressed delight at being part of the programme, describing Ebie, the NDDC Board Chairman who was variously Delta state Commissioner for Higher Education and Secretary to the State Government (SSG) as God sent and a gift to Niger Delta, especially the Ika nation.

According to her, “the NDDC chairman is doing well, he is a gift to us from God, he is God sent, a precious gift from God to the Niger Delta people, particularly the Ika nation. This programme is really for the youths and I never expected it. This is the first time I have attended such a programme, and I am happy to be part of it. Whatever we have been taught today, I will put into practice. May God bless the man for us.”

While eulogizing Mr. Ebie for the programme, Alika Clement, a participant concurred with previous speakers, noting that the initiative had brought visible changes to communities. His words: “Everything my brother has said is correct. Nobody expected that somebody like this could do all these things. Some of the street lights we are seeing today were put in place by this man. The Commission has existed but we never saw things like this physically before. Now people can gather together and benefit. We pray God continues to strengthen him.”

Recall that on Friday, February 28, 2025, the NDDC Board Chairman inspected some NDDC funded critical projects he attracted to the Ika Federal Constituency for the benefits of the people, assuring that the Commission will prioritize the people’s requests.

Some of these projects include: the ICT centre at the Faculty of Law, University of Delta (UNIDEL), Agbor, with modern computers and state of the art infotech equipment; the inspection of construction project at the first phase of the failed portion of Umunede/Umutu Road by Pan Ocean Flow station, at Owa-Alidinma, Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State, among others.

Under NDDC’s “Light Up Niger Delta Programme’’ Barrister Ebie also attracted thousands of solar street lights and 16 transformers to Ika Federal constituency thereby boosting economic and social activities which make life and living easier for the communities.

Earlier in April 2024, during the second Founders Day celebration and fundraising for Ika Language and Cultural Research Centre of the University of Delta, Ebie instituted a yearly award for the best graduating medical student at the University. According to him, the award by the family which would be reviewed after five years, is in honour of his father, the pioneer Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University of Benin Teaching Hospitals (UBTH), late Professor John Ebie.

Utomi, a Media Specialist writes from Lagos, Nigeria. He could be reached via Jeromeutomi@yahoo.com/08032725374.