Nigeria, Aug. 13 -- The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, will turn fifty next week. However, contrary to the expectation of many, he will be marking his birthday differently. He decided to convert it to a festival of ideas and debates through the presentation of two books that he and his colleagues authored. Although many of his friends and associates would have wished for a more elaborate celebration, his decision is a reaffirmation of the value he places on scholarship and intellectual inquiry. I have glanced through both books and can confirm that they demonstrate a courageous and forward-looking attempt to proffer pragmatic solutions to lingering Niger Delta questions.

Through his writing...