Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, yesterday, addressed stakeholders in the oil-rich region on how to unlock agricultural potential amid reports alleging his arrest.

An aide described the report of his arrest as false and a fabrication by political opponents to distract the NDDC boss from his responsibilities.

The report, which went viral on social media on Wednesday, alleged that the military arrested the MD over an alleged coup.

It claimed that Ogbuku was arrested for allegedly transferring a substantial sum of money to a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who was allegedly identified as one of the financiers of the purported move to effect a government change.

However, while addressing the gathering, Ogbuku made no reference to the alleged report throughout his speech.

The NDDC chief, at a strategic meeting organised in preparation for an upcoming agricultural summit in the area, urged the region to work towards ensuring food security, which he believes would help mitigate the rising dollar rate.

Ogbuku noted that a monopolist economy cannot crash the rising dollar, but a competitive market will.

If the South and the North produce food, it will crash the dollar rate,” he stated.

The meeting, attended by Commissioners for Agriculture and Permanent Secretaries from all nine Niger Delta states, provided an opportunity for them to review their respective agricultural statuses.

The NDDC boss further urged the region to look beyond oil and embrace agriculture as a catalyst for sustainable development.

Earlier, the Executive Director Projects, Dr Victor Antai, described the meeting as apt. He said agriculture remains the surest path to inclusive growth, job creation and food security in the region.