Mr. Pius Oghenevwairhe Ughakpoteni has been named Director, Corporate Affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He is a management expert, skilled writer with insightful and analytical talents, which he appears to have earned during his many years in journalism practice.

Ughakpoteni, who announced this on Friday, has been the Director of New Media at the NDDC since October 2022, following a seven-month stint as the Director of the Abuja Liaison Office, where he led a team of talented and passionate professionals in communicating the NDDC’s vision, mission, and achievements to the public and stakeholders through digital platforms and tools.

In a signed statement, Ughakpoteni, said “I am honoured and humbled to announce that I am taking over as the new Director of Corporate Affairs at the NDDC, following the retirement of the outgoing Director, Dr. Ibitoye Abosede.

“This appointment is effective immediately and comes with a new mandate and responsibility. The New Media Department has been merged with the Corporate Affairs Directorate, creating a unified and integrated function that will oversee all aspects of external and internal communications, stakeholder engagement, reputation management, and brand strategy for the NDDC.

“This is a significant change and a great opportunity for me and my team to leverage our skills and experience to support the NDDC in achieving its goals of facilitating the rapid, even, and sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.

“I am confident that we have the talent, creativity, and passion to deliver on this mandate and to make a positive impact on the lives of millions of people in the region.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of you who have been very supportive of me over the years in my different roles before this. Your encouragement, feedback, collaboration, and friendship have been invaluable to me and have helped me grow personally and professionally. I look forward to continuing our relationship and working together in this new capacity,” he stressed.

Ughakpoteni has 30 years of experience in journalism, management, public relations, and practice-driven research in Nigeria’s corporate and public sectors, as well as in universities in England and Switzerland.

Ughakpoteni was born on June 26, 1964, in the oil-rich Niger Delta region, namely in Eruemukohwarien, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State. He began his academic career as a homeboy at St Paul’s Primary School, Ughelli, and later transferred to the Government College, Ughelli.

That humble beginning has now blossomed and propelled Ughakpoteni into the international arena, where he is a doctoral candidate at Business School Lausanne, Chavannes, Vaud, Switzerland, focusing on Business Administration, Business Transformation & Entrepreneurship, C-Suite Leadership for Corporate Sustainability Performance Advancement.

His research interests are leadership, sustainability, innovation, change, and strategy implementation. He is intrigued by collaboration and constructive engagement for change, as well as questions about how to collaborate with senior executives to increase business sustainability performance for the benefit of all.

Ughakpoteni, who is passionate about professional development, got three Master’s degrees in six years from three universities in England. These include a Master of Science in Business and Management Research from the University of Reading’s Henley Business School (2017), a Master of Business Administration in Leadership and Sustainability from the University of Cumbria (2014), and a Master of Arts in Leading Innovation and Change from York St John University (2013).

In 2912, he received the PR Academy, Maidstone House, Maidstone, United Kingdom Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Diploma Public Relations.

He earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Management from the University of Calabar in 1991, prior to his international success. That was more of a consolidation, as he began his higher study at Auchi Polytechnic in 1983, graduating with a National Diploma in Business Administration.

Ughakpoteni began his career as a Management Assistant in 1991. Two years later, he became a Researcher/Reporter at Nigeria’s THISDAY newspaper, where he worked on the Business, Energy, and Politics desks in multiple newspapers before becoming Associate Editor of Leadership.

As a member of the pioneer teams that launched two major national newspapers in Nigeria, THISDAY and LEADERSHIP, he effectively collaborated with other journalists. This reinforced his strong desire for success and ability to collaborate effectively with people in a team, as well as provided him with work skills transferrable to other settings.

Since joining the public sector in 2004, he has progressed from Senior Manager to Director of Media Relations at the Niger Delta Development Commission, an organisation established by an Act of the Nigerian parliament to support the long-term development of the country’s Niger Delta region.

Ughakpoteni has worked with his colleagues over the years to refocus and strengthen the employee-oriented newsletter and the Oyster Magazine, the Niger Delta Development Commission’s external stakeholder-oriented publication, as reliable means of communicating with the organisation’s diverse public in order to elicit their understanding and support.