The House of Representatives has called on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, to dissolve the three-man interim board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Ossai Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) presented a motion on matters of public importance at the plenary on Wednesday titled: “Urgent need to stop the illegality in Niger Delta Development Commission”.
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Ossai noted that the constitution of the interim leadership by the minister contravenes the law establishing the commission.
According to him, section 8 of NDDC Act provides that its management and administration shall be the responsibility of its Governing Board.
He explained that “the governing board of the Commission included the Chairman, the Managing Director and the other members with the powers to manage and supervise the affairs of the Commission making rules and regulations for effective functioning of the Commission.”
He stressed that “concerned that on the 29th of October after the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta had screened the President’s nominees and in the same day the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs inaugurated an interim committee to midwife the Commission’s forensic audit.”
Ossai, therefore, advised the Senate to discontinue attending to the budget process of the commission and urged the House of Representatives committee to do the same.
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Akpabio constituted an interim management team to take over from Akwagaga Enyia’s interim management of NDDC, which was constituted in August.
His action came less than 24 hours after Senate President Ahmad Lawan read at the Senate plenary session a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari requesting for the Senate to screen and confirm the 16-member NDDC board.
