Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-city
The state Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-south and South-east regions have commended President Muhammadu Buhari over his directive for a forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
They also called on the president to urgently inaugurate the new board to superintend over the Commission’s activities for a holistic review and reforms.
The call and commendation by the chairmen were contained in two separate statements issued by Akwa-Ibom State APC Chairman, Hon. Ini T. Okopido, who is the leader of the South-south Chairmen of the forum, and his Abia State counterpart, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa, leader of South-east Chairmen of the forum respectively, which was made available to journalists in Benin-city
The forum expressed satisfaction on the calibre of those Buhari has already appointed to take over the task of the region’s development, and appealed for their inauguration to pilot the affairs and bring their wealth of experience to bear on the Commission.
The chairmen, while commending the president for his ‘love’ for the development of the Niger Delta region, assured him of their unflinching support to carry out his holistic reforms in the interventionist agency
The forum is also of the view that since neither the Chairman nor Managing Director-designate of the NDDC board has served in the Commission in the period of 2001 to 2019 in reference, they will be able to dispassionately carry out reforms that will revamp the Commission and correct the inadequacies of the previous boards in addressing the infrastructural decay in the region.
Describing the other appointees as having the capacity and right attitude to revamp the region, the APC state chairmen unanimously called on President Buhari to urgently inaugurate members of the new board, “because the appointees have distinguished themselves as men and women of integrity who have also laboured for the growth and development of the party.”
They stated that anyone who has served in the previous board under investigation should be dropped by the Senate to avoid interferences with the audit process, stressing that the development of the region is a collective task that is paramount to them because any sound legacies bequeathed to the Niger Delta people will have overall impacts on the region’s socio-economic well being
