Oscarline Onwuemenyi
31 March 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja – President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday forwarded to the Senate three new names to the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC for replacement of those earlier rejected by the upper chamber.
The nominees are Lucky Omirisan representing Ondo state, Chuka Amawawa from Imo state and Nwogu N Nwogu for Abia state.
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki read the letter from President Buhari at plenary yesterday.
The letter read, “In the accordance with section 228 of the NDDC Act 2000, I hereby present the following nominees to the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for confirmation of the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The distinguished senate is invited to note that these nominees are the replacement of those that were rejected for not representing the oil producing areas of their respective states.”
Recall that the senate had in October 2016 rejected three nominees out of the nineteen members of the NDDC board sent to it by the President.
They were Donatus Enyinnaya representing Abia state on the board, Osita Izunaso from Imo state and Olatokunboh Ajasin from Ondo state.
Enyinnaya and Ajasin were rejected because they were not from oil producing areas of their respective states while Osita Izunaso declined the appointment.
During the debate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe had pointed out that Section 2(1) (b) of the NDDC Act stipulates that nominees for the board of the commission must be from communities where oil was produced.
Also recalled that the Senate had in October last year, confirmed the nomination of former Senate leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba as Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Nsima Udo Ekere as Managing Director of the commission.
Other nominees who were approved were Adjogbe Samuel, Mene Derek, Frank George, Brambaifa Nelson and Sylvester Nsa.
The nomination of Ogaga Ifowodo, Uwuilekhue Saturday, Harry Dabibi, Benard Banfa, Yahaya Mohammed and Mustapha Dankadai was also confirmed.
Two other nominees, Mahmoud Isa-Dutse and Abdul-Kazeem Bayero from the Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Ministry of Environment, respectively, were also accepted by the lawmakers.
However, the membership of the two civil servants on the board, according to the senate, will cease whenever they are transferred from their present ministries.
The chamber rejected the nomination of three members on grounds that their nomination contravened the NDDC Act of 2007.
The Act stipulates that only persons from oil producing communities could be appointed to such positions.
A nominee, Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo) had declined his nomination, explaining that he was not from oil-producing part of his state.
