By Perez Brisibe

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to heed calls by governors of the Niger Delta States for the inauguration of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

The advice was given by the Niger Delta Development Network, NDDN which also described the call by the governors as a vote of no confidence on the Interim Management Committee of the commission.

This is just as the Niger Delta Peoples Movement Against Corruption and Injustice, NDPMACI also advised him not to be selective with the establishment of Interim Management Committee, IMCs, on development agencies in the country.

NDPMACI executive director, Dr Tamuno Torulagha in an open letter to President Buhari, wondered why the North East Development Commission, NDEC is having a board while the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC with a board screened and approved by the senate is having an IMC heading the commission.

Part of the statement reads: “Mr. President, you ought not to be selective in exercising your enshrined powers as commander in chief and custodian of the Nigerian constitution hence we urge you to compose the substantive management board for the commission as contained in the NDDC act just as you did for the NEDC.

“Mr. President, you have been known as an anti-corruption czar and a man with firm state of mind when confronting the monster called ‘corruption’, however, there has been very disturbing developments that tend to run contrary to your known beliefs as it pertain to your fight against corruption and corrupt practices under the illegal Interim Management Committee.

“The sacrifices our people made that gave birth to the establishment of the NDDC is being almost eroded by the illegal Interim Management Committee which is in contravention with the provisions of the NDDC establishment act 2000.

“Mr. President, the Niger Delta people and concerned Nigerians strongly appeal to you to save the NDDC from the manipulations currently ongoing and executed by the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs who has always boasted that he has your express authorization to implement his illegalities in the NDDC, claiming you have conceded the NDDC to him as terms of agreement for his defection, to the APC.”

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National chairman of NDDN, Chief Nelson Nkangain a statement, on his part, commended the governors of the Niger Delta States for taking a position which he said has been canvassed for many months by stakeholders of the region after the federal government decided to set up the committee for the agency.

He said: “As stakeholders in the Niger Delta, we make bold to say that the interim management committee is an illegal body that is not recognized under the law setting up the NDDC and does not represent the interest of the people of the Niger Delta.

“The Governors’ call is a vote of no confidence in the interim management committee which has carried on like a substantive management, whereas it is the creation of the Minister of Niger Delta Godswill Akpabio.

“It is now clear that Akpabio is the only one backing this committee for whatever reason, hence we call on President Buhari to heed the call of the governors and inaugurate a substantive Board for the NDDC.

“It is important to note that the governors have woken up from their slumber to address the issues that confront the NDDC at this time which according to Governor Okowa, has become a Liliputian agency in spite of the huge funds at its disposal.

“We are happy that the governors have come to realize that the minister and by extension the federal government has used them to create a situation where the NDDC is run without a substantive board.

“It should be clear to all now that the ruse of the forensic audit, which the minister trumpets as a request made by the governors to Buhari has become the biggest lie in Nigeria, because six months after it was announced, the forensic audit that was promised has not yet commenced.

“President Buhari cannot continue to ignore the authentic voices of the Niger Delta people on this issue of the illegal Interim Management Committee. He should scrap it and heed the Governors’ call to immediately inaugurate a substantive Board for the NDDC.”

VANGUARD