Senate Approves 15-man Board for NDDC

*Declines confirmation of one nominee

By Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed 15 nominees for the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The confirmation of the16th nominee, Dr Joy Nunieh, was however declined by the upper chamber due to the nominee’s failure to appear before the Senate committee on Niger Delta Affairs which screened the nominees last week.

This was sequel to the presentation of the report of the Senate committee on Niger Delta Affairs which recommended the confirmation of 15 out of the 16 nominees for the Board of the NDDC.

After the presentation of the report at plenary by the committee Chairman, Senator Nwaoboshi, the Senate at its committee of the Whole considered the report before confirming the nominees and rejecting the only nominee that failed to appear before the Senate for screening.

The confirmed nominees include former Deputy Governor of Edo state, Dr Pius Odubu (Chairman); Bernard Okumagba (Delta) Managing Director; Otobong Ndem (Akwa Ibom)-Executive Director, Projects; Maxwell Oko (Bayelsa)-Executive Director, Finance and Administration; Jones Erue (Delta); Victor Ekhator (Edo); Nwogu N Nwogu (Abia) and Theodore Allison (Bayelsa).

Others include Victor Antai (Akwa Ibom); Maurice Effiwat (Cross River); Olugbenga Edema (Ondo); Uchegbu Kyrian (Imo); Aisha Muhammed (North West); Shuaibu Zubairu (North East) and Abdullahu Bage (North Central).

President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter to the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, asked the Senate to confirm the nomination of a 16-man Board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The two-paragraph letter dated October 18 but read at plenary on Tuesday, October 29, by Lawan read in part, “in accordance with the provision of section 2(2)(a) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) (Establishment) Act, 2000, I write to forward for confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the underlisted nominees for appointment into the NDDC board to occupy the positions indicated against their names.