By Senator Matthew-Warri
The umbrella body of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Youth Wing, today, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the sole administrator and inaugurate a substantive board already screened for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
UPU Youth Wing said that President Buhari has the backing of the NDDC Act to sack the administrator of the Commission with immediate effect.
According to the youths, the call became necessary for the South-South region to have rapid development and not stagnation, deprivation and marginalization.
The UPU Youth Wing led by Comrade Umukoro Efemena in a statement signed and made available to THE MANDATE, said it was worrisome that rather than for the presidency to constitute a substantive board for the NDDC, it resorted to illegality by appointing a sole administrator.
“You will recall that Mr President Muhammadu Buhari had in exercise of one of his constitutional powers, forwarded to the Senate for confirmation appointments of a 16 – member board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) via a letter dated 18th October, 2019.
“Specifically, Mr President in the letter sought the Senate’s confirmation for Dr Pius Odubu, former Edo state deputy governor as chairman of the NDDC, Chief Bernard Okumagba as Managing Director and 14 others as members of its board.
“The president’s letter reads: “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 under listed nominees for appointment into the NDDC board, to occupy the positions indicated against their names.”
“The letter continued, Mr President, in the letter, expressed hope that “the Senate will consider and confirm the nominees in the usual expeditious manner”.
“Accordingly, the written request, which was read on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 by its President, Ahmad Lawan, was given expeditious consideration by the upper legislative chamber, which directed its standing committee on NDDC, to carry out screening exercise on all the nominees and report back within a week.
“The Senate’s standing committee headed by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP Delta North), carried out the screening exercise on 15 out of the 16 nominees on Thursday, October 31, 2019, upon which the Senate confirmed their appointments on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 based on report tabled before it by the committee.
“On the aforementioned facts, It is so embarrassing to us in the region to be treated like 3rd class citizens, after all there was a board already sent to the National Assembly and screened, waiting to be sworn in by Mr President, why not swear them in so that development can return to the region rather than keeping a sole administrator to shortchange the Niger-Delta people of their rights.”
