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NOSDRA Faults Woke’s Appointment …Says DG’s Position Not Vacant
Uneasy calm is now pervading the offices of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) in Abuja and other parts of the country, following the announcement by the Federal Government that Mr Idris Musa has been replaced as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, with former Rivers State Commissioner for Special Duties and former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Engr Chukwuemeka Woke.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, recently announced that Engr Woke had been appointed as the new Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NOSDRA, after being rejected by Ogun State to head the Ogun-Osun Water Basin Development Authority, following protests that trailed his earlier appointment by the Federal Government.
Since the announcement was made, feelers indicate that it has not gone down well with majority of workers of the agency across the country and other insiders of the agency.
NOSDRA workers and other insiders in the Abuja office in particular, are said to be forlorn, dejected and sad over the development, as some of them are alleged to be wearing long faces, and have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescind the decision since the position of Director General in the agency is not vacant, with Musa who they described as a square peg in a square hole, and a core professional and gentleman to the core, firmly in the saddle, having served only one year of his second tenure of four years.
According to them, President Tinubu was misled to have thought that the position of Director General in the agency was vacant, for which reason, he had gone ahead to appoint Engr Woke as the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the agency.
While reiterating that the position of Director General of NOSDRA is not vacant, they fingered the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike for orchestrating the plot to remove Musa from office and replace him with his kinsman and loyalist, Engr Woke, who served under him as Chief of Staff, when he was the Governor of Rivers State.
They said Musa has three years running to complete his tenure, and expressed delight that he has been repositioning the agency since his appointment in 2019.
The workers and insiders said the NOSDRA helmsman has been piloting the affairs of the agency without blemish and has also been giving the welfare of the workforce top priority, even in the face of debilitating challenges and paucity of funds, stressing that the Director General is not only very sincere but a man of integrity.
Musa, they noted, has also been working hard to reposition the agency and make it result-oriented, contending that it would be unfair and unjust to replace him,when he has not committed any infraction to warrant that, and called on President Tinubu to rescind the decision and allow the Director General to fully serve and complete his four-year tenure.
The workers and insiders further expressed displeasure that Musa is yet to serve half of his second tenure of four years, pointing out that they are highly shocked over the development and the appointment of a politician like Engr Woke to head the Federal Government agency at this critical time, an agency they said, is purely professional-oriented and highly technical.
It would be recalled that Musa was reappointed as the Director General of NOSDRA by former President Muhammadu Buhari in the twilight of his administration last year, for a four-year tenure, barely a year ago, following his excellent track record of performance and achievements.
Both the workers and other insiders of the agency see the Director General as a father figure, and described him as a workaholic and astute administrator, who knows what he is really doing at the agency based on his rich resume’ and
wealth of experience.
The workers and insiders, who pleaded anonymity, said it would be a welcome development if President Tinubu rescinds the decision to replace Musa and allows the affairs and activities of the agency to continue to run uninterrupted, describing the Director General as a vibrant, energetic, competent, hard working, dedicated, committed, calm, kind, compassionate and level headed officer, who has the technical savvy and professional know-how to run the agency.
Musa, a devoted Muslim who hails from Kogi State holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Geography from the University of Ibadan and two Master’s Degrees in Business Administration and Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Ibadan and University of Illorin, respectively.He also has several professional certifications and memberships, both locally and internationally.
Known for his vibrant and energetic personality, Musa was appointed the Head of Operations of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) in Port Harcourt in 2017, a position he held until his appointment as Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NOSDRA in 2019.
He equally has extensive experience in oil spill management and has served on various high-powered committees, including the committee that worked on the preparation of the documents leading to the establishment of NOSDRA. He has also participated in various international trainings, seminars and workshops.
The Director General represented Nigeria on the 10-man Board of Pollution Crime Working Group of the International Police(INTERPOL), and has received multiple awards in recognition of his services, including the Bureau of Public Service Reforms Distinguished Goztech Trailblazer Award and the Nigerian Environmental Society Honorary Fellow (FNES) HON, which he bagged in October, 2023.
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.