President Muhammadu Buhari has approved that the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) be recomposed and inaugurated after the forensic audit of the organization.
The President has also directed that the Interim Management Team of the NDDC shall be in place till the forensic is completed, and that the supervision of the Commission shall remain under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
The decision of the President comes weeks after he sent the names of a new board to the National Assembly for confirmation.
The Senate duly confirmed the 15 NDDC board nominees except Dr. Joy Yimebe Nunieh, who is presently the acting chairman of the NDDC.
Chronicle NG gathered that Dr. Nunieh is an ally of the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio and had been put forward by the former Senate Minority to become the substantive NDDC chairman.
But when President Buhari sent the name of Dr. Pius Odubu as chairman, power play began in the Commission.
Although the senate had confirmed Dr. Odubu and 15 others, the President stalled on inaugurating the new board, despite pleas from different Niger Delta groups for him to do so.
It would be recalled that Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, coming under order 43 of the Senate standing rules said that members of the NDDC board duly confirmed by the Senate were yet to resume official duty.
According to him, the failure of the executive to swear-in members of the board duly confirmed by the Senate sequel to a request from President Buhari, may threaten early consideration and quick passage of the 2019/2020 budget of the NDDC.
He added that the Interim Committee of the NDDC, led by Joy Nunieh, is an “illegal contraption” that lacks the backing of law to defend the commission’s budget.
He said, “Having regard to the fact that this Senate has confirmed members of the board of the NDDC and they are yet to resume office.
“I fear that we may run into a problem of delayed budget again since nobody will come to defend this budget.
“This Senate, having confirmed the board of the NDDC will not countenance any illegal contraption coming to represent NDDC.
“To prevent a late budget for NDDC that is helping Nigeria on revenue and development of the region, it will be better for us to prevent this issue from coming.”
The nominees confirmed by the Senate are: Dr. Pius Odubu (Edo), Chairman; Bernard Okumagba (Delta), Managing Director; Engr. Otobong Ndem (Akwa-Ibom), Executive Director (Projects); Maxwell Oko (Bayelsa), Executive Director, Finance and Admin; Jones Erue (Delta), and Chief Victor Ekhator (Edo).
Others are: Nwogu N. Nwogu (Abia), Theordore Allison (Bayelsa), Victor Antai (Akwa-Ibom), Maurice Effiwatt (Cross River), Olugbenga Edema (Ondo), Hon. Uchegbu Chidiebere Kyrian (Imo), Aisha Murtala Muhammed (Kano), Shuaibu Ardo Zubairu (Adamawa), and Ambassador Abdullahi Bage (Nasarawa).
