NDDC Board: group backs South-South Govs against Akpabio

By Okodili Ndidi, Abuja

A transparency advocacy group, the Global Forum for Accountability and Transparency, has supported the position of the South-South governors on the composition of a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The group accused the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio of running the NDDC without recourse to due process, while commending the governor’s for speaking up against the anomalies that the Minister has entrenched in the Commission.

The six governors in the zone had clashed with Akpabio over the delay in the inauguration of a substantive board for the NDDC.

The governors condemned the current management structure of NDDC, which they said is shortchanging the region and lacked due process.

Meanwhile, the group in a statement signed by the Lead Executive Director, Joseph Ambakederimo, noted that even though the position of the Governors is coming a bit late “we still commend their resolve to speak on this matter and on behalf of their people who depends on the NDDC for their survival and on who’s back the NDDC came to being.”

According to the statement, “we are delighted to issue this statement in support of the south-south Governor’s forum on the shenanigans that has festered in the NDDC for quite a while largely due to the meddlesomeness and the obsession of the Minister of Niger Delta Ministry Senator Godswill Akpabio. We have observed long ago that the obsession on the part of the Minister is never altruistic in the first place but only a scheme to corner the resources that belongs to the people of the region to himself.

“The Minister is also known to trivialise very important issues of law and order, and in this case due process is nothing to him. If not, what is the connection of local government elections conducted by states in the region with issues that borders on flagrant abuse of due process in the NDDC. He so mentioned constant squabble between members in the boards in the past as if this should be recourse for the illegality he continues to perpetrate.”

It continued that “for the fact that Akpabio cannot mention to the people of the region the end of the forensic exercise goes to confirm the fear been expressed by us that there is more than what the larger society is seeing. We have uncovered a scheme designed to elongate the forensic audit up to July of this year. And this is to enable himself and Mr. Effiong Akwa and their cronies corner enough resources to keep oiling his Presidential ambition.

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“We will continue to resist this devilish move and expose the underbelly of Mr. Akpabio. He should know that the NDDC is not is personal property and he will be called to give an account anytime. The idea put forward by the Governors to President Buhari for the monies accruable to the NDDC to be escrowed until a substantive board is inaugurated is the way to go. We in the SSRG have equally called on the President on the same line of thought in the past but the President keeps enabling the Minister to continue with his unbridled penchant for absolute power.

“How can one explain the over two trillion that has accrued to the NDDC for the past two and half years with nothing practically to show for in the region yet we talk of a forensic audit that is programmed to last forever. Even if the President doesn’t like the people of the region this is certainly not the way to treat an institution that is created to bring succour to a people.

“Therefore the President should heed the call of the Governors and ensure no monies should be released to the NDDC including the budget fewer monies for the payment of staff salaries. The 3% statutory payment by the oil and gas companies should also be escrowed considering the large chunk of inflow from these multinationals. If we must have a virile NDDC it should happen under a substantive board and not a one-man show been perpetually encouraged by the Minister. We must all call for an end to this forensic charade and allow the board to be inaugurated.”