N’Delta Govs Confirm BIGPEN Online ‘Suspicions’ On NDDC Board Appointments, To Meet Buhari

Governors of the oil producing states in the Niger Delta region have raised some concern about the recent appointments into the Niger Delta Development Commission Board as was exclusively reported by BIGPEN Online.

The governors met Thursday night in Abuja to review the newly announced appointments which they said fall short of due process.

Recalls that BIGPEN Online, quoting multiple sources had raised suspicions about the appointments, alleging that the “entire appointments is ‘fake’, or handiwork of jobbers”.

According to the earlier report by this medium, appointments into the commission are prerogative right of Mr. President, who will forward a letter to the Senate to approve the confirmation of the appointments.

BIGPEN Online had also reported that such letters are often made public by the Senate President during senate planery and not through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The report, quoting sources in the presidency had also punctured holes in the names of appointees, saying that there had never been a time when Mr. President would direct NDDC acting Managing Director as it is in “the statement” to hand-over to the most senior Director in the Commission.

“Another holes in the yeoman job done in the so-called appointments, according to our source is that the statement asked the appointees who have not been confirmed by the Senate to report to office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation which is unprecedented”, the report said.

The report further said, “appointments of such magnitude as NDDC cannot be signed and route through a “Permanent Secretary (General Services Office) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Olusegun A. Adekunle, Esq” as being circulated in the press release”.

According to the report on this medium, “the entire process is faulty and the manner the names were released made it suspicious but if these turned out to scale through then the person responsible for those appointments, who authorise the release of the so-called names without following due process may be having a serious problem soon”.

Meanwhile, arising from the Thursday night meeting, the Niger Delta Governors resolved to meet President Muhammadu Buhari over his recent appointments on the commission.

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State who briefed journalists shortly after the meeting, said the governors, cutting across nine oil producing states and different political parties, met to discuss and review current developments and their concerns pertaining to the NDDC.

He said: “We are all unanimously of the view that we are concerned about the governance process within that very critical agency.

“We are aware of the general dissatisfaction in the region and in the various states.

“We are also concerned about the way and manner the recent appointments have been made. Arising from all of these, we want to use this opportunity to call for calm in all our states and across the region.

“As you are aware, there were some protests in so many states following the recent appointments that were made. Accordingly, we decided that as soon as it is convenient with Mr. President, we intend to have audience with him.

“We are critical stakeholders and the NDDC is a very critical developmental agency that is supposed to partner and collaborate with the state governors.

“Unfortunately we have not seen much collaboration. So, we intend as a body to have audience with Mr. President in no distant time and as soon as convenient at least to discuss in greater details our views on some of these critical views affecting the NDDC so that the agency will be repositioned for greater efficiency and then we have an effective governance mechanism to carry on with their business.

Following our interaction, we may have more to disclose to the public.”

Dickson called for peace and calm in all oil producing states and member states of NDDC.

He assured that the governors were committed, working together as a body to meet the President to resolve all issues.

At the meeting were Governors Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom, Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Godwin Obaseki (Edo) and the Deputy Governors of Imo and Abia States.

BIGPEN Online with additional reporting by TheEagle Online