The National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDE-A) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the Pius Odubu-led executive board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
A statement by the coordinator, Eshanekpe Israel (aka Akpodoro), called on the President to suspend Minister of Niger Delta Godswill Akpabio, whose ministry supervises the agency, and had been embroiled in allegations of financial impropriety and sexual harassment.
According to the coalition, the current development in NDDC, as it concerns the Interim Management Committee (IMC), should inform the President to inaugurate the Odubu-led executive.
Akpodoro noted that the problem started when the President replaced the board he constituted with the IMC in the name of forensic auditors.
The statement reads: “In as much as the idea of a forensic audit was not a bad one, the personalities appointed to audit the commission were lacking in integrity and credibility.
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“The only safety valve left is for the President to reverse his decision for a damage control and allow the Odubu-exco take over statutorily the management of the commission and appoint men of impeccable integrity to audit the regional agency for the good of Niger Delta.
“Since the IMC was established, Akpabio has literally turned himself to minister of NDDC, abdicating his roles in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for want of overzealousness occasioned by personal interest.”
The coalition queried the rationale behind making Cairo Ojugbo executive director of Project (EDP), saying the office was exclusive for engineers with the expertise to monitor and make accurate statements on quality of projects.
Ojugbo, it noted, had no business being on NDDC board because he was not from an oil and gas bearing council, and lacked the skill to be project director.
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