Group Flays Newspaper Report on NDDC’s Relevance
Niger Delta United Congress (NDUC) has flayed a national newspaper for what it described as a “scurrilous and preposterous editorial” titled “NDDC Has Outlived Its Usefulness, Scrap It.”
In a statement jointly signed by its President, Ebizomor Brisibe, and Secretary, Edem Archibong, it argued that “If scandals, poor resource allocation, and duplication of functions, are the paper’s reasons for its atrocious red-herring suggestion, why did it then not include North East Development Commission (NEDC), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), amongst other agencies, set up by law, to be scrapped since they are also dogged with the above issues and allegations listed by the newspaper.”
According to the group, the newspaper’s claim that NDDC is “essentially a bribe to the oil producing states” is “outlandish and insulting to the people of the Niger Delta region.”
According to Ebizomor, “why do we have the North East Development Commission (NEDC) functioning unhindered with its substantive, legal Board and not being recommended to be scrapped despite its share of scandals? How does anyone then begin to suggest that what is not being done to the North East Development Commission (NEDC) should be done to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)?”
NDUC stated that the Buhari Administration was showing “utmost disdain and disregard for the Niger Delta people and treating us so shabbily. There is increasing anger against the Federal Government and the APC in the Niger Delta region as a result of the very poor, biased, illegal and provocative actions of the Federal Government in the handling of matters concerning the NDDC and the Niger Delta region. This orchestrated red herring will therefore be adding insult to injury.”
With regard to suggesting that Niger Delta states should be allocated 50 percent derivation of oil and gas resources, NDUC wondered why the paper did not proceed to recommend steps to actualising it, in the first instance, after which the NDDC can then be side-stepped when the region begins to receive 50 percent derivation of oil and gas resources. According to Ebizomor, “why would a responsible medium recommend the scrapping of an important interventionist agency as NDDC when there is no visible or viable alternative at the moment? This newspaper’s ludicrous suggestion, in the absence of an immediate and better alternative, invariably amounts to an obvious invitation to anarchy.”
For the avoidance of doubt and proper guidance of gullible Niger Deltans and Nigerians, NDUC stated that NDDC is an Act of Parliament established by “Niger-Delta Development Commission (Establishment etc) Act 2000 Act No 6 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.” According to the group, “no change whatsoever can be effected to the manner of governing the Commission through an executive interference or fiat of the Federal Government, but only through a process of National Assembly amendment or repeal of the NDDC establishment Act.”
Ebizomor further stated that “NDDC, according to its establishment Act, is a Commission owned by the people of its nine constituent states and in that regard the Act provides for a Governing Board with representatives from each of the nine constituent states. It also provides for an Advisory Committee comprising the Governors of the nine constituent states. As a result it cannot be whimsically scrapped as suggested by this ill-informed news medium. NDDC is therefore a Commission set-up by law to cater to the peculiar needs of the Niger Delta people and majorly funded by statutory allocations meant for the constituent nine (9) Niger Delta states.
NDUC explained that if the newspaper was genuinely and dispassionately interested in charting workable alternatives that will be of benefit to the people of the Niger Delta, it would have carefully gone through the NDDC Enabling Act of 2000, and would have realized that the framers of the law made adequate provisions for proper corporate governance, accountability, probity, checks and balances in the administration of the Commission. “The proper thing for the newspaper would have been to call out the other agencies and arms of government who have dithered in their supervisory or oversight functions, as a wake-up call.”The group went ahead to itemize sections of the NDDC Act which provide for proper supervision and oversight. In Section 19 of the NDDC Act, “The Commission shall, at the end of every quarter in each year, submit to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria report on the activities and administration of the Commission.”
In Section 20 (1-2) “The Board shall prepare and submit to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not later than 30th June in each year, a report in such form as the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces may direct on the activities of the Commission during the immediately preceding year, and shall include in the report a copy of the audited accounts of the Commission for that year and the auditor’s report thereon.
“The President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces shall, upon receipt of the report referred to in subsection (1) of this section, cause a copy of the report and the audited accounts of the Commission and the auditor’s report thereon to be submitted to each House of the National Assembly.”
Furthermore, in Section 21 (1-2), “There is hereby established for the Commission a Monitoring Committee which shall consist of such number of persons as the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces may deem fit to appoint from the public or civil service of the Federation. The Monitoring Commission shall- (a) monitor the management of the funds of the Commission and the implementation of the projects of the Commission and (b) have access to the books of account and other records of the Commission at all times, and submit periodical reports to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
NDUC stated that “from the aforementioned, it is clearly discernible that this Newspaper is working with fifth columnists to create this unnecessary subterfuge to cause disaffection in the region at a critical time that Niger Deltans are focused on, and legitimately demanding that the Federal Government should inaugurate the substantive Board of NDDC, that is already long overdue, moreso following President Buhari’s promise on June 24, 2021 when he hosted the leadership of Ijaw National Congress, to inaugurate the Board of the Commission upon receipt of the report of the Commission’s forensic audit, which report he received seven months ago, since September 2, 2021.”
However, the group asserted that “knowing how fickle the Buhari Administration has become and its increasing numerous decisions against the people of the Niger Delta region, it will not be far-fetched to conclude that some elements in the Federal Government are flying a kite with this vexatious report.”
According to NDUC, “these elements in the government have become so comfortable in the latitude the federal government has given them to continue to toy with the delicate peace in the Niger Delta states. After a rigmarole of a controversial forensic audit, a convenient excuse by which President Buhari appointed Interim Managements/sole administrator contraptions for the NDDC in contravention of the NDDC Act, the promise to inaugurate a substantive/legal Board has still not been met. Rather, specious propositions are being made in the public space, creating tension in the Niger Delta states.”
Ebizomor therefore cautioned that “at a time that the tension in the entire region is at fever pitch, when all stakeholders, men, women, youths, traditional institutions, civil society organisations, professional groups, elders, and governors, are already genuinely provoked at the ongoing delay in the inauguration of the NDDC Board, Niger Deltans will definitely not accept any ploy by whatever means to complicate matters at the NDDC and plunge the region into avoidable crisis.”
