TVC E. A Political Science lecturer at the University of Lagos, Dr. Odion Sylvester Akhaine has accused the presidency of playing politics with the creation of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
Akhaine who spoke via skype on TVC Breakfast Show, condemned the manner through which board members of the NDDC are being selected, describing it as Politically motivated.
It would be recalled that the Itsekiris in Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC), have described the choice of Adjogbe Ajenakevwe, one of Delta’s nominees on the board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, as an illegality against the Act setting up the commission.
In a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari by Robinson Ariyo, Felix Ighonmieyetan and David Omadeli, APC candidates in Warri South constituency I and Warri North in the 2015 election and Leader, APC Warri South-West respectively, the Itsekiri APC members expressed disappointment over the development.
They said: “The entire Itsekiri nation, particularly some of us, committed members of the APC are disappointed and piqued, to say the least, because of the names sent to the Senate for ratification as members of the proposed board of NDDC. “We are compelled to mention that one of our own, Tuoyo Omatsuli occupied the position of Executive Director of Projects, EDP on the board of NDDC for two years (December 2013 through December 2015) before Your Excellency dissolved the board and appointed a Sole Administrator.
“For the two years, Omatsuli held the position of EDP, his performance speaks volume till date and it was only normal for us as Itsekiri, in line with the Act establishing NDDC, to expect that an Itsekiri man should at least be appointed to complete the remaining two years.” Denying any form of illegality and rancour in the nomination of Ajenakevwe, however, the 2015 governorship candidate of the party in the state, Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor said: “A development like this is a reminder to the public that there is no faction in Delta APC. Factionalisation is just the figment of the imagination of those who don’t mean well.”
Contacted on the development, Sen. Spanner Okpozo, factional leader of the Delta APC choose to keep mum, saying, “I will not say anything on this matter. I am a leader of the party as it stays.”
There was palpable tension at the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission [NDDC] on Monday following the action of two executive directors who insisted their tenures have not ended.
Following the dissolution of the boards of Federal Government’s agencies and parastatals two weeks ago, all board members except those clearly mandated to continue by the government relinquished their positions.
But this is not the case at the NDDC where two executive directors are insisting that the Federal Government’s directive has no effect on their appointment.
The source also said towards the end of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, Messrs Ogiri and Omatsuli received, on behalf of the commission, over N3.8 billion from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
But instead of informing the managing director and the board about the release of the funds, the source said the duo paid out the money to contractors without clearance.
However, only 48 contractors benefited from the payments with majority of them coming from Rivers and Delta states.
According to him, the board only found out about the payment when the Managing Director, Dan Abia, went to the office of the accountant general of the federation to find out why funds had not been released to the commission.
