Updates: Akpabio Suspends Employment, Offer Of Appointment Letters In NDDC

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio has ordered the immediate suspension of recruitment exercise and offer of letter of appointment into the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

This was contained in a statement signed by Anietie Ekong, Chief Press Secretary to the Honourable Minister, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday night.

BIGPEN Online understands that the suspension of the exercise following an online report in which Akpabio and interim Management of the commission were accused of employing 300 staff through the back door and without a substantive board in place contrary to NDDC Act.

The statement reads: “The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio has directed that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), suspends forthwith any employment exercise into the Commission.

“The Minister also directed the suspension of handing over of appointment letters, documentation and all other processes connected to employment into the Commission.

“Senator Akpabio gave this directive in a letter issued by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack to the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Akwagaga Enyia.

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“According to the Ministerial directive, the Commission’s pay roll should not accommodate any new employees and should revert to the status quo as at August 31, 2019, while he should be furnished within three days with a detailed report of any employment exercise being undertaken by the Commission.

“The letter said the suspension exercise is to subsist until a due process evaluation of the purported exercise is carried out by the Ministry in consultation with the two NDDC Committees of the National Assembly and sought prompt action of the Acting Managing Director on the matter”.