The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has described the death of Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall, OFR, as a major loss to the Niger Delta, recalling his pioneering role in establishing the institutional framework for development intervention in the oil-producing region.
Horsfall, who died on Thursday, September 24, 2026, was the pioneer Chairman of the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), the agency established in 1992 before its replacement by the NDDC under the NDDC Act of 2000.
The Board and Management of the NDDC paid tribute to the late elder statesman on Friday at the Commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, where officials signed the condolence register and reflected on his contributions to the region and the country.
The tribute was particularly significant because Horsfall’s tenure at OMPADEC was part of the early institutional history from which the NDDC emerged.
A former NDDC Director of Project Monitoring and Supervision, Dr. (Engr.) Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, said Horsfall was “one of the foundational figures in the institutional story of Niger Delta development,” noting that he provided leadership at a critical stage in the region’s development history.
Audu-Ohwavborua also drew attention to the NDDC headquarters where the mourning ceremony took place, saying Horsfall laid the foundation stone of the building in 1995 while serving as OMPADEC chairman.
He said the project was later abandoned for years before the NDDC revived it in 2017 under the leadership of former Managing Director/CEO Obong Nsima Ekere, with Federal Executive Council approval for its re-award, and achieved practical completion in 2019.
According to him, the presence of former NDDC chief executives and senior officials at the condolence ceremony underscored the significance of Horsfall’s contribution to the institution’s history.
Among those associated with the remembrance were former Managing Directors and Chief Executives of the Commission, including Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, Obong Nsima Ekere, Mrs. Iyasere Osato, Dr. (Mrs.) Christy Atako, Mrs. Ibim Seminitari, Dr. Christian Oboh, Dr. Enyia Akwaggaga and Audu-Ohwavborua.
Horsfall’s public service career extended beyond Niger Delta development, having served as a police officer and pioneer member of the former National Security Organisation before becoming the pioneer Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency.
He later served as the second Director-General of the State Security Service, now known as the Department of State Services.
His career therefore cut across national security, intelligence, public administration and regional development.
Horsfall was also a prominent figure in the traditional and socio-political affairs of the Niger Delta. He was associated with the Kalabari Kingdom, held the Omekwe Paramountcy and was a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).
Audu-Ohwavborua commended the NDDC Board and Management, led by Chairman Chiedu Ebie and Managing Director/CEO Chief Samuel Ogbuku, for organising the condolence ceremony and preserving the memory of the Commission’s pioneers.
He said Horsfall’s legacy remained reflected in the history of OMPADEC, the emergence of the NDDC and the wider development efforts directed at the Niger Delta.
The late Horsfall’s death has consequently brought renewed attention to the generation of public servants who were involved in establishing the early institutional response to the development challenges of Nigeria’s oil-producing communities.
