There is rising anger in the nine states of the Niger Delta region over the alleged leaked Memo from the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami over the composition of the Substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The purportedly leaked memo and approved by President Muhammadu Buhari revealed that Delta state is expected to produce the Chairman of the NDDC, while Edo state will produce the Managing Director.
Also Ondo state will produce the Executive Director Finance and Accounts, or the Executive Director Procurement and Imo state will produce the Executive Director Procurement or Executive Director Finance and Accounts, one or the other. It was however stated that the AGF Malami’s memo revealed that Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom states, and other states have no role in the proposed NDDC Executive Management.
According to the angry stakeholders, the proposed composition of the substantive board as stated in the Malami’s memo showed that the board as allegedly approved by President Muhammadu Buhari violated the NDDC act 2000, and the Executive Management rotational policy of the commission.
According to the NDDC Act 2000 and the rotational policy of the commission, it is the turn for Delta state to produce the Chairman of the commission while Bayelsa state is to produce the Managing Director. Akwa Ibom state is expected to produce the Executive Director Finance and Accounts, and Rivers state will produce the Executive Director Procurement.
A stakeholder from Delta State, High Chief Oreghene Kpodu, argues that the duo of AGF Malami and the Presidency are intentionally trying to cause chaos and crisis across the Niger Delta region in order to keep their henchmen at the NDDC, “they want to trigger protest and test the resolve of the people on the issue of a sole administrator to continually siphon billions of naira in contracts payment to presidential aides in Abuja, while the people of the Niger Delta region are left with crumbs to suffer.”
High Chief Oreghene Kpodu called on all Niger Delta stakeholders to rise up and act immediately to resist the planned crisis across the region by people in the presidency.
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