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N’Delta Leaders Laud NDDC, Back Forensic Audit
Some prominent Niger Delta leaders and critical stakeholders have thrown their weight behind the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and declared their support for the on-going forensic audit in the commission.
The cream of advocates from the oil-rich region, led by Chief Timi Kaiser Ogoriba, stated their position during a solidarity visit to the NDDC management at the commission’s new permanent headquarters in Port Harcourt.
The delegation, which included Ms. Ankio Briggs and Alhaji Asari Dokubo, lauded the IMC for taking some notable strides, while urging it to do more because the development of the Niger Delta region was still a far cry from what was envisaged by those whose agitations led to the establishment of the NDDC.
Ogoriba said: “The on-going forensic audit is very necessary because the funds that have passed through the NDDC from inception till date, do not match the development on ground. Given this fact, anyone that is against the forensic audit has a problem, and such a person is an enemy of the Niger Delta people.”
He observed that a lot of the funds that had come into the NDDC were not properly managed, stating: “We want a situation where things are done differently for better results.”
Ogoriba applauded the NDDC for completing its permanent headquarters building, urging the commission to also monitor the proper execution of its projects.
“You need an independent project monitoring committee that will stick to rules and ensure compliance with set standards,” he said.
Responding, the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei, said that the IMC was poised to reposition and refocus the commission as directed by President Muhamadu Buhari.
He said: “The NDDC has existed for 20 years, doing things the same way and it has not been able to deliver on its core mandate of fast-tracking development in the Niger Delta region.
“We have tried to make some changes but we met a lot of challenges. We believe that with all hands on deck and leaving the past behind, we are going to surge forward and bring the needed development to our people.”
Pondei expressed sadness that the NDDC, which was set up as an interventionist agency, ended up performing the functions of local and state governments, thus limiting its capacity to intervene where necessary.
He declared: “We want to return the NDDC to its proper role as an interventionist agency.
“That is why we are revisiting the region’s roadmap, the Niger Delta Regional Development Master Plan. The development compass needs review and we will need inputs from all stakeholders to once again underline what the NDDC is supposed to be doing.”
In the area of project monitoring, Pondei said that the commission had since changed its approach.
He explained: “In the recent inspection of just 15 projects by the Executive Director Projects and his team, the commission saved N1.6billion from overstated milestones. They could not match what was on ground with what was presented in Interim Payment Certificates (IPCs). We could have done more of these project inspections but for the distractions coming from our detractors. Nevertheless, we are set to resume the inspection visits.”
The NDDC boss said that the commission had been engaging the governors of the nine Niger Delta states.
According to him, “our plan is to hold regular meetings but this has not been realized because of the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, we have been able to hold virtual meetings through Zoom.”
Pondei lamented that various agricultural programmes have failed in the Niger Delta region on account of poor funding. Notwithstanding, he said, the commission had started a pilot rice planting project which would be spread across the region subsequently.
He said further: “This project will help in getting our youths to be meaningfully engaged in farming. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is ready to provide loans for it.
“We also have plans to train our youths to benefit from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 project. Barring funding challenges, we want to train the youths in under-water welding.”
Also speaking, the NDDC Executive Director Projects, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, assured that the IMC would do the right things for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta.
He said that the demonstration of support from leaders of the region was re-assuring, noting that the solidarity visit to NDDC meant that the IMC was on the right path.
In her own remarks, an environmental and human rights activist, Annkio Briggs, bemoaned a situation where the NDDC and the Niger Delta region were now a laughing stock in Nigeria because everybody who wanted to make excuses for the injustice in the region cites the poor performance of the NDDC.
The truth, she said, was that the commission had to deal with a system where its budget must be taken to the National Assembly where the lawmakers were at liberty to pick and choose what they want before approving the budget.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.