By Uche Amunike
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has constituted a new Board of Trustees and Management for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. This was disclosed through a statement released by the presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, Tuesday.
Speaking through the statement, he maintained that Samuel Ogbuku retained his appointment as the Managing Director of the Commission, while Chiedu Ebie from Delta State is now the chairperson for the NDDC Board.
According to the press statement, the new Board and Management of the NDDC, numbering 17 are:
‘Mr. Chiedu Ebie – Chairman – Delta
Dr. Samuel Ogbuku – Managing Director / CEO – Bayelsa
Mr. Boma Iyaye – Executive Director (Finance and Admin) – Rivers
Mr. Victor Antai – Executive Director (Projects) – Akwa-Ibom
Ifedayo Abegunde – Executive Director (Corporate Services) – Ondo
Sen. Dimaro Denyanbofa – State Representative – Bayelsa
Mr. Abasi Ndikan Nkono – State Representative – Akwa Ibom
Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya – State Representative – Delta
Chief Tony Okocha – State Representative – Rivers
Hon Patrick Aisowieren – State Representative – Edo
Mr. Kyrian Uchegbu – State Representative – Imo
Victor Kolade Akinjo – State Representative – Ondo
Chief Dimgba Eruba – State Representative – Abia
Mr. Asu Oku Okang – State Representative – Cross River
Hon. Nick Wende – Zonal Representative – North Central
Hon. Namdas Abdulrazak – Zonal Representative – North East
Sen. Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir – Zonal Representative – North West
President Tinubu expressed his hope that the newly formed Board and Management team would bring about a new era of progressive administration in the NDDC that will be in tandem with his renewed hope agenda.
Meanwhile, women leaders of different ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta region have demanded that President Bola Tinubu publishes the report of the forensic audit of the NDDC.
The leader of the delegation, Ann-Kio Briggs, made this request during an interactive meeting with the Managing Director of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, in Port Harcourt, Monday.
According to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report, the women leaders were drawn from different ethnic organizations, community and faith-based organizations, civil society groups, non governmental organizations and market women.
When the Commission was set up in 2000, some firms were hired during the President Mohammed Buhari administration to carry out a forensic audit of the NDDC from onset to 2019. However, several months after the exercise ended, the government still did not make the findings known to the public.
Briggs stated that the delay in submitting the report was unacceptable, especially since billions of naira were spent to carry out the audit. She noted that the women of the Niger Delta were not happy that the forensic audit report of the NDDC had not been published.
Hear her: ‘We wish to remind President Bola Tinubu that the report of the forensic audit under the previous government is unacceptably unavailable to the public. Also, we can no longer ignore the fact that NDDC is owed huge monies running into billions and trillions of naira.’
She added that the Niger Delta women have suffered neglect even though they have always stood with their men in the struggle for justice, accountability, equity and development of the region. She also called on Ogbuku to prioritize the concerns of the Niger Delta women, while ensuring that their interaction will yield positive results.
