NDDC: N’Delta Group Rally Support for Acting MD, Seeks Complete Tenure for New Board

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Community Development Committees of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas (CDCNDOGPA) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointment of an Acting Managing Director for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, to usher in a new board that would develop the region in line with extant laws.

The group, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mr. Joseph Ambakederimo, said that it was satisfied with the performance of the acting managing director since his appointment in setting up a template on which the incoming board would anchor its infrastructural programmes to dovetail into the vision of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Timipriye Sylva for the region.

In the statement titled “We Welcome the New NDDC Board,” the group said that “we welcome the substantive board appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari and praise the Honourable Minister of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for his dexterity and calmness in following through his agenda for the region.

 “In the penultimate month, we have recognised and applauded the appointment of the Acting Managing Director as a precursor to ushering the board that will birth a new dawn to the region.

“The acting managing director was brought in to clean the Augean stable and set a template on which the incoming board would anchor its infrastructural programmes to dovetail into the vision of the honourable minister for the region,” it added.

The CDCNDOGPA noted that the misconception of the failure of the commission, which could either be political or pecuniary has stifled whatever achievements it has recorded, hence the acting managing director was appointed as a transition to prepare the template for the new board to take a cue from.

 The group expressed its expectation that the incoming board would be allowed to complete its four years tenure, to at least show some sense of responsibility from the government that is expected to emerge recalling that no board had completed its tenure since the establishment of the NDDC.

 “We are urging that boards appointed must be allowed to complete their tenure so we can hold people to account for their stewardship. The incessant dissolving of the board overtime has become counterproductive to the regions development and a drawback on human capital development as well.

 “It is on record that the CDC has been at the forefront advocating for the enthronement of a substantive board and we shall continue to push until the board is inaugurated having made it known in the past that the CDC will only support genuine efforts and clear processes that will lead to the realisation of the aspiration of our people,” it stated.

The CDCNDOGPA vowed not to stop at this point of the appointment of its agitation for a board, warning that it should continue to play a pivotal role of carrying out oversight function on the activities of the commission now and in future.

 “We must also make it clear and warn that what happened to the set of appointees that was duly made by the President, and screened and cleared by the Senate and was not inaugurated does not happen to this appointed board again.

We are watching with keen interest and hope this time around the good intentions of the Honourable Minister is not consigned to the dustbin of history,” it stated.

The group, therefore, appealed to stakeholders that time is needed for the management team to birth a solid and purposeful template for the new board members to takeoff from.