SAN FRANCISCO, October 29, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a three-man Interim Management Committee to oversee the affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) during its forensic audit.
Dr Gbene Joi Nunieh will serve as Acting Managing Director, while Dr. Cairo Ojougboh will be Acting Executive Director, Projects and Chief Ibanga Bassey Etang will serve as the Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration.
A statement by Patricia Deworiitse, spokesman of the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the supervising Minister, while performing the inauguration ceremony of the committee, said President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the appointment of the three-man Interim Management Committee.
According to the Minister, the committee would be in place to create the necessary ambience for a hitch free forensic exercise, adding that the inauguration of the Board Members would be put on hold until the forensic exercise is completed.
The Minister said that the forensic audit as ordered by Buhari would cover 18 years of NDDCs operations between 2001- 2019.
Akpabio said there would be 10 slots of auditing firms with each State assigned one while the NDDC Headquarters slot would be the coordinating slot.
The Minister urged the Interim Committee to discharge it’s duties effectively and efficiently without fear or favour, noting that the people of the Niger Delta region and indeed the whole country reposed confidence in them in overseeing the affairs of the Commission as an interventionist agency to work towards alleviating the plight of the people of the Niger Delta region.
According to Senator Akpabio, the present Acting Managing Director Dr. Mrs Enyia Akwagaga had been directed to hand over to the new Interim Committee on Wednesday 30th October, 2019 by 10am.
The NDDC’s Board nominees whose names are before the Senate for confirmation are: Chairman, Dr. Pius Odubu (Edo); Managing Director, Bernard O. Okumagba (Delta); Executive Director Projects, Engr. Otobong Ndem (Akwa Ibom); Executive Director Finance and Admin, Maxwell Okoh (Bayelsa); Delta State representative, Prophet Jones Erue; Chief Victor Ekhatar (Edo); Dr. Joy Yimebe Nunieh (Rivers); and Nwogu Nwogu Abi’s.
Others are Theodore A. Allison (Bayelsa); Victor Antai (Akwa Ibom); Maurice Effiwatt (Cross River); Olugbenga Elema Ondo); Hon. Uchegbu Chidiebere Kyrian (Imo); Northwest Rep, Aisha Murtala Muhammed (Kano); Northeast Rep, Ardo Zubairu (Adamawa) and Southwest Rep, Engr. Badmus Mutalib (Lagos).
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