VANGUARD NEWS

A civil society organization, Niger Delta Integrity Group (NDIG), has reacted to advised President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore a suit filed by Niger Delta activist, Rita Lori-Ogbebor, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking to stop the inauguration of a new board for the Niger Delta Development Commission  (NDDC).

NDIG, in a statement by its President, Akpoebide Okotiene, and Secretary, Edet Ekpenyong, said the court case was rather strange, curious, and a wicked subterfuge, coming at a crucial time the Niger Delta region is at tenterhooks awaiting the NDDC board inauguration.

“This is without question one more instance of Lori-Ogbebor’s meddlesomeness taken too far,” insisting that President Buhari, on June 24, 2021 “gave a firm promise to inaugurate the NDDC board upon receipt of the commission’s forensic audit report in July, when he received the leadership of Ijaw National Congress (INC) at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja,” the group said.

The group said since receiving the forensic audit report on September 2, 2021, President Buhari is yet to keep to his promise to inaugurate the NDDC board, and the NDDC “continues to be run in breach of the law.”

Okotiene and Ekpenyong noted that “across the length and breadth of the Niger Delta there are unending calls, demands and peaceful agitations of youths, men and women, political and traditional leaders and civil society organisations that the NDDC should be run in accordance with the NDDC Act which requires a substantive board in place.

“The stakeholders have also stated the inauguration of the board of NDDC will ensure compliance with the law as well as promote and sustain peace, equity and fairness, transparency and accountability, good governance and rapid development and transformation of the Niger Delta Region, and douse the tension of militancy as well as curtail the menace of insecurity in the region.”

NDIG further said Lori-Ogbebor’s quest is against the spirit and aspiration of Niger Deltans who have continued to question the illegality of running the commission by a sole administrator, in breach of the law, should continue even two months after the submission of the much touted forensic audit report to the president.

“It behoves the Federal Government to ensure the long-suffering people of the Niger Delta region who have been denied of equitable and fair representation in the NDDC through a substantive board since October 2019 is quickly assuaged with a board as promised by Mr. President to ensure proper corporate governance, accountability, checks and balances and fair representation of its constituent states.

“Ogbebor’s suit is clearly the handiwork of a clique designed to perpetuate the illegal interim management contraptions that has been in place running the NDDC and utilising its funds totalling over N500 billion since October 2019 to date, with no developmental projects in any of the constituent states to show for it,” NDIG said.

The group said Niger Delta governors, ethnic nationalities, statesmen and civil society organisations have been calling for the inauguration of the governing board in compliance with the NDDC Act and to ensure full representation of the constituent states since 2019, with President Buhari, finally promising on June 24, 2021 when he received the leadership of Ijaw National Congress, to inaugurate the board upon receipt of the forensic audit, which report he has received since September 2, 2021.

It urged the Federal Government to ignore the attempt to “scuttle the will of the people, obstruct abidance with the law setting up NDDC as we await the earnest inauguration of the NDDC board, as promised by President Buhari.”