Imo Oil Producing LGAs Petition Buhari over Lopsided Appointment in NDDC

By Adedayo Akinwale 

The Oil Producing Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Imo State, under the auspices of Urashi Peoples’ Congress (UPC), have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse what they described as persistent lopsided appointment in the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

In an open letter addressed to the President and signed by the Coordinator, Mr. Reginald Uwakwe (KSC), a copy of which was made available to THISDAY on Sunday, the group claimed that the appointments into key positions like Managing Director of the NDDC, had been allegedly skewed in favour of only four states of Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Delta states, out of the nine member states that made up the Commission.

It said between 2001 to 2021, the list of Managing Directors and their states include; Dr. Godwin Omene, Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, both from Delta state; Timi Alaibe, Bayelsa, Mr. Chibuzor Ugwuoha, Dr. Christian Oboh, both from Rivers; Nsima Ekere; Dan Abia, both from Akwa-Ibom; Nelson Brabaifa, Bayelsa; Joy Nunieh, Rivers; Kemebradikumo Pondei, Bayelsa; Okon Akwa, Akwa-Ibom state; while Executive Directors of Finance/Administration and Project were also appointed from only the four states.

It stated: “We, the Urashi Peoples’ Congress (UPC), an umbrella body of all the Oil Producing LGAs in Imo State want to bring to your attention the urgent need for the correction of lopsided appointments in the leadership of the NDDC.

“The bias appointment, which has persisted since the Commission came into existence over the years, has assumed a critical and sensitive dimension of great concern that if left uncorrected is capable of threatening the operations and truncating the activities of the Commission.

“The bias appointment, which has persisted since the Commission came into existence over the years, has assumed a critical and sensitive dimension of great concern that if left uncorrected is capable of threatening the operations and truncating the activities of the Commission.”

The group explained that a compromise was reached that the position would be rotated within the nine oil producing states, namely: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers.

It pointed out that a cursory look into subsequent appointments made would  confirm that nobody from the South-east States of Abia and Imo had been appointed into the management positions either as a Managing Director, or the other two Executive Directors previously.

It said South-east members of the NDDC, caught up in this situation, are not only fast turning to frustration, helplessness, and despondency, but also that of anxiety borne out of the fear of a deliberate attempt to side-line the Igbo states in the NDDC from the mainstream scheme of activities in the Commission.

The group stressed that Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Imo State had the highest gas deposit in the whole of West Africa, currently explored by Seplat Energy Plc, SPDC, ANOH Gas Processing Co. and these two LGAs in Imo State house the highest number of Oil Wells and Flow Stations in Nigeria.

The group informed the President that this issue had crystalised into a disturbing extent that requires his urgent intervention before it escalates into an intolerable, disturbing extent capable of disorganising activities in the Niger Delta and derailing the successes the Commission had recorded so far.