The death of Chief Albert Horsfall, the pioneer Executive Chairman of the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), has been described as a major loss to the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
Former Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, made the remarks in a condolence message issued to journalists in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Audu-Ohwavborua described Horsfall as a patriot whose career in public service contributed significantly to the development of the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta.
He said September 24, 2026, would remain a significant date of remembrance for Horsfall, particularly for people whose professional careers were connected to the NDDC and its institutional history.
“For me, and for many whose professional journey has been intertwined with the NDDC, Chief Horsfall was much more than the pioneer Executive Chairman of the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC). He was one of the foundational figures in the institutional story of Niger Delta development,” he said.
Audu-Ohwavborua also commended the NDDC Board and Management for honouring the late administrator by gathering at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to sign the condolence register.
He noted that the headquarters building itself represented part of Horsfall’s legacy, recalling that the late OMPADEC chairman laid its foundation stone in 1995.
According to him, the project was subsequently abandoned for several years because of funding challenges before efforts were made to revive it.
Audu-Ohwavborua said the project was eventually revived in 2017 when the NDDC management, under the leadership of the then Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Obong Nsima Ekere, moved to complete the abandoned building.
He said the NDDC Governing Board supported the decision, while the Federal Executive Council approved the re-award of the completion contract to another contractor that same year.
Audu-Ohwavborua, who was serving as Director of Project Monitoring and Supervision at the time, said the project reached practical completion in 2019.
He described the development as evidence of the institutional connection between Horsfall’s leadership at OMPADEC and the NDDC, which was established under the NDDC Act of 2000.
“Thus, in a very real sense, the NDDC of today stands within a continuum of an idea to which Chief Horsfall gave leadership at a critical moment in the history of the Niger Delta,” he said.
Beyond his work in regional development, Audu-Ohwavborua also recalled Horsfall’s extensive contributions to Nigeria’s security and intelligence services.
He said Horsfall began his career as a police officer and became one of the pioneer members of the former National Security Organisation, NSO.
Horsfall later served as the pioneer Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, before becoming the second Director-General of the State Security Service, now known as the Department of State Services.
Audu-Ohwavborua said Horsfall’s years of service across Nigeria’s security architecture and his leadership role in the development of the Niger Delta had secured him a place in the country’s institutional history.
He expressed condolences to Horsfall’s family, colleagues and associates, saying his contributions to public service and the Niger Delta would continue to be remembered.
