NDDC : Group Berates PMB OverInability To Constitue Board For 7years -By Tife Owolabi

A peace advocacy group known as the Movement for Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta, MSDND, has sent a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari  over his  regime inability to constitute a board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC since he assumed office. 

Group  in the letter to President Muhmmadu Buhari and signed by its National Coordinator, Chief Ayibatekena Olodin described
President Buhari administration has dramatic monologue of confusion and  brouhaha for not being able to constitue a substantive NDDC board which has robbed the region of over 7 years of substantive representation, economic growth and development.

His words :  “we have observed that in the Seven years of your administration, a substantive board of the NDDC has never been constituted. Instead of constituting a board, all we have had under your administration is a dramatic monologue of confusion and administration brouhaha. Many Niger Delta stakeholders have written and others have protested against the continued use of the affairs of the NDDC as a comic relief for an already tensed polity. The lack of a substantive NDDC board has robbed the region of over 7 years of substantive representation, economic growth and development”.

“The Niger Delta people are firmly against the appointment of a new NDDC Interim Administrator. President Buhari should allow Mr. Akwa to remain as Interim Administrator until he appoints a substantive NDDC board in the interest of the Niger Delta people, as any new appointment of a new Interim Administrator will set the region further backwards.Mr. President, we urge you to ignore these wicked politicians from the region against the re-constitution of a substantive board for the region. They have failed the people in the region and want to plunge the administration of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) against the people of the region. As it is in Niger Delta, the APC rating is abysmal and will fail woefully in the coming 2023 Presidential poll”.

“Instead of acceding to the provocative plan of anti-APC politicians for the sack of Effiong Akwa and replace him with another Sole administrator, it is better for Mr. President to salvage the falling rating of his administration and that of his party by appointing a substantive board to complete the announced sanitization of the commission.We are writing Your Excellency, to appoint a substantive NDDC board and to direct the Interim Administrator Mr. Effiong Akwa to pay suffering Niger Delta Contractors who have lost so much as many of their businesses and properties have been confiscated by banks for failure to repay the loans they took to fund their NDDC jobs. Many others have died in penury and left their siblings devastated”.

“A check showed that despite refusal of the Federal Government and multinational oil companies to release the trillions of naira owed to the NDDC, the Akwa Effiong management have fairly managed its limited resources in paying recurrent expenditures and offset payments of projects owed to past and present contractors of the commission. Unlike the few months past, Effiong Akwa has done arguably well by quietly working and improving the lives of the people of the region through empowerment and redeemable payment for jobs done. It is now left for the President Muhammadu Buhari led leadership to assist the NDDC by releasing the needed funds to further improve economic and structural activities in the region”.

“On the issue of allege massive fraud uncovered in the ordered and completed forensic audit, we call on President to come clean by making the findings public and allow the people of the region ‘judge” their leaders involved in such devastating fraud.Such as the uncovered fraud alleged against the Former Minister of Transport and Former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and his wife. On one hand, the forensic audit reported purportedly uncovered that the sum of One Billion naira (N1billion) monthly contract was awarded for soap making in the region”.

“Your Excellency, Our group can authoritatively revealed that Prof. Nelson Brambayefa management of the NDDC in 2019 awarded a total of 37 distilling jobs to companies associated with the families of Ameachi and Full payments were made with no payment less that N900 million per distilling jobs totaling N33billion. It must be noted, Your Excellency, that Nigerians, particularly the people of the Niger Delta region accepted your administration’s directives on the NDDC because they see you as a man of Integrity during your days as the Former Head of State and your laudable war against indiscipline. But we are yet to see such war against fraud and nefarious acts against those indicted by the ordered audit”.

On alleged plot to sack the sole administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and appoint another to oversee the affairs of the commission.

According to the group, the plot is totally unacceptable and would only be condoned if Mr. Effiog Akwa is removed and replaced with the immediate constitution of a substantive board for the commission.

Tife Owolabi
Journalist
Niger Delta
@tifeowolabi