By: Princess Don, Uyo.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has honoured the late Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall, OFR, describing him as a pioneer whose contributions helped lay the foundation for organised federal intervention in the development of the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta.
A Tribute by the former NDDC Director, Project Monitoring and Supervision, Dr. (Engr.) Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, FNSE, made available to The Standard Times of Nigeria on Saturday, stated that The Board and Management of the NDDC paid tribute to Horsfall on Thursday, September 24, 2026, during a condolence ceremony at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, where members signed the condolence register in honour of the former pioneer Executive Chairman of the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC).
Horsfall, who died after a distinguished career in public service, was remembered for his contributions to Nigeria’s security and intelligence architecture as well as his leadership of OMPADEC, the predecessor institution to the NDDC. He was a pioneer member of the former National Security Organisation (NSO), later became the pioneer Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and subsequently served as the second Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), now known as the Department of State Services (DSS).
Speaking on his legacy, Dr. (Engr.) Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, FNSE, a former senior NDDC official, said Horsfall’s role in the formative years of OMPADEC placed him among the foundational figures in the institutional history of Niger Delta development. He noted that Horsfall was at the helm of OMPADEC when the federal intervention framework for oil-producing communities was taking shape.
According to him, the NDDC emerged in 2000 under a new legislative framework that replaced OMPADEC and expanded the mandate for development intervention across the Niger Delta. He said the transition from OMPADEC to NDDC represented an institutional continuum in which the foundations laid by early pioneers such as Horsfall remained significant.
Audu-Ohwavborua also recalled that Horsfall laid the foundation stone of the NDDC headquarters building in 1995, noting that the project was eventually completed decades later. He said the building was re-awarded for completion in 2017 following approval by the Federal Executive Council, with practical completion achieved in 2019.
Beyond his national security and development roles, Horsfall was also recognised as an elder statesman, traditional leader and prominent son of the Kalabari Kingdom in Rivers State. He held the Omekwe Paramountcy and was a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), where he continued to contribute to regional affairs.
Former NDDC Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers, including Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, Obong Nsima Ekere, Mrs. Iyasere Osato, Dr. Christy Atako, Mrs. Ibim Seminitari, Dr. Christian Oboh, Dr. Enyia Akwaggaga and Audu-Ohwavborua, were among those who joined the Commission in paying tribute to the late elder statesman.
Audu-Ohwavborua commended the NDDC Board and Management, led by Chairman Chiedu Ebie and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Chief Samuel Ogbuku, for honouring Horsfall and preserving the institutional memory of the Niger Delta intervention.
He said Horsfall’s legacy would remain in Nigeria’s intelligence services, the history of OMPADEC, the evolution of the NDDC and the wider Niger Delta, describing him as a public servant whose career spanned security, intelligence, administration, regional development, traditional leadership and public affairs.
