President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the dissolution and recomposition of the yet to be inaugurated new Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The President has also directed that the Interim Management Team of the NDDC shall be in place till the forensic audit of the agency is completed, and that the supervision of the Commission shall remain under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
The president’action, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, today has put to rest speculations that he was going to recall members of the newly confirmed board headed by Dr. Pius Odubu.
Buhari’s action followed series of controversy surrounding the process of board members’ nomination, which was challenged by governors of the Niger Delta, followed by litany of court cases trailing the process.
It would be recalled that the Senate, on November 5, 2019 confirmed President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominees for the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu was approved by the Senate for the position of Chairman, Board of NDDC.
Odubu was deputy to the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole when he was governor of Edo State. Also confirmed by the Senate is Chief Bernard Okumagba from Delta State for the position of Managing Director.
The confirmation followed the presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs by its Chairman, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Delta North.
Also confirmed by the Upper Chamber are Otobong Ndem from Akwa Ibom for the position of Executive Director, Projects and Maxwell Oko from Bayelsa as Executive Director, Finance and Administration.
With Odubu; Okumagba; Ndem; and Oko, Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa have members each on the board. Also confirmed are Delta State representative, Prophet Jones Erue; Chief Victor Ekhator (Edo); Nwogu Nwogu (Abia); Theodore Allison, representing Bayelsa State, Victor Antai (Akwa Ibom); Maurice Effiwatt (Cross River); Olugbenga Elema (Ondo); Hon. Uchegbu Chidiebere Kyrian (Imo); Aisha Murtala Muhammed from Kano, representing North West; NorthEast representative, Ardo Zubairu from Adamawa state and Ambassador Abdullahi Bage from Nasarawa State representing the North Central geopolitical zone.
