PORT HARCOURT -The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has honoured the late Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall, OFR, for his pioneering role in the development of oil-producing communities and the evolution of federal intervention in the Niger Delta.
Horsfall, a former pioneer Executive Chairman of the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), was remembered on Thursday, September 24, 2026, during a condolence ceremony at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Board and Management of the Commission signed the condolence register in honour of the late elder statesman, who was described as one of the foundational figures in the institutional history of Niger Delta development.
Horsfall, who died after a distinguished career in public service, was a pioneer member of the former National Security Organisation (NSO), the pioneer Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the second Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), now the Department of State Services (DSS).
Speaking on his legacy, a former senior NDDC official, Dr Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, FNSE, said Horsfall’s leadership of OMPADEC came at a critical period when the Federal Government was establishing an organised intervention framework for oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta.
Audu-Ohwavborua said the creation of the NDDC in 2000 under a new legislative framework, replacing OMPADEC, represented an institutional progression in which the foundations laid by pioneers such as Horsfall remained significant.
He recalled that Horsfall laid the foundation stone of the NDDC headquarters building in 1995, adding that the project was eventually completed decades later.
According to him, the headquarters project was re-awarded for completion in 2017 following approval by the Federal Executive Council, while practical completion was achieved in 2019.
Beyond his roles in national security and regional development, Horsfall was also recognised as an elder statesman, traditional ruler 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 remained involved in 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, 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 endure in Nigeria’s intelligence community, the history of OMPADEC, the evolution of the NDDC and the broader development history of the Niger Delta.
He described the late public servant as a distinguished figure whose career cut across national security, intelligence, administration, regional development, traditional leadership and public affairs.