On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari pleaded with the Senate to approve the appointment of Lauretta Ifeanyi Onochie as the actual Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission. Onochie is the president’s special adviser on social media (NDDC).
At the plenary, Buhari’s letter containing the request was read by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
The President also proposed more candidates for the Board of Directors, among them Chief Dr. Samuel Ibukun, who was chosen to serve as Managing Director for the Board for the remaining two years of his predecessor’s tenure (Bayelsa State, South-South).
The letter nominates the following individuals for the NDDC board: Laureta Ifeanyi Onochie (Delta, South-South) as chairman; Chief Dr. Samuel Ibukun (Managing Director); Dimgba Erugba State Representative (Abia, South-East); Dr. Ene Willcox Wills (Akwa Ibom, State Representative, South-South); former Deputy Edo Governor Dr. Pius Odudu (Edo (Imo, South-East),
Additionally listed on the board are Charles Ogunmola (North-East Representative), Professor Tallen Mamman, SAN (North-East Representative, Adamawa), Alhaji Sadiq Sami Sule (Kebbi State, North-West, Zonal Representative), Maj. Gen. Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (Rtd), Executive Director of Finance, and Mr. Onyekachi Dimkpa (Rivers, South-South).
(Executive Director Project, South-West).
In accordance with Section 2(2)A of the NDDC Act, Cap N86, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, I hereby present the underlisted 15 names of nominees as Chairman and members of the NDDC for confirmation by the Senate, according to the statement titled: “Confirmation of appointments of Chairman and members of the Niger Delta Development Commission.”
The NDDC Act, which mandates that each state of the NDDC must have a representative, was cited shortly after the list was read by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, APC-Delta Central, to object that Delta State was not represented on the proposed board.
He pleaded with the Executive to fix the error.
However, Lawan pledged to see to it that the Act was followed, adding that he would raise the issue and see to it that proper process was followed by rigorously following to the Act creating the NDDC in order to avoid delaying the screening.
Senator George Sekibo (PDP – Rivers East) called the Senate’s attention to the fact that the Chamber had in 2019 examined and confirmed President Buhari’s nominations for the board of the NDDC and questioned why the double work, which is against Senate Standing Orders, was being done.
In his response, the Senate President explained why the previous list was unable to pass due to the NDDC’s then-current crisis.
