Ukorebi Esien | 24th November 2022
Following months of back and forth in the constitution of board members for the Niger Delta Development Commission, President Muhammadu Buhari has finally sent names of nominees via a letter to the Red Chambers for consideration and confirmation.
Worthy of note in the list sighted by our correspondent, is the inclusion of Laureta Ifeanyi Onochie as Chairman of the Board and Rt. Hon. Orok Duke representing Cross River state.
The President's letter was read during Wednesday's plenary session.
The NDDC board nominees, according to the letter, are: Laureta Ifeanyi Onochie (Delta, South-South) as Chairman; Chief Dr. Samuel Ibukun as Managing Director; Dimgba Erugba State representative (Abia, South-East); Dr. Ene Willcox Wills (Akwa Ibom, State Representative, South-South); former Deputy Edo Governor Dr. Pius Odudu (Edo, South-South representative); Hon. Gbenga Edema (Ondo, South-West); Elder Dimaroe Daniya Bofa, State Representative, Bayelsa State, South-South; Hon. Orok Duke, State Representative, Cross River, South-South and Engr. Anthony Ekene (Imo, South-East),
Also on the board list are Mr. Onyekachi Dimkpa (Rivers, South-South), Alhaji Mohammed Kabiru Abubakar (Zonal Representative, Nasarawa), Professor Tallen Mamman, SAN (North-East Representative, Adamawa), Alhaji Sadiq Sami Sule (Kebbi State, North-West, Zonal Representative), Maj. Gen. Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (Rtd) (Executive Director of Finance) and Charles Ogunmola (Executive Director Project, South-West).
The controversial NDDC Board list has sparked several reactions in Cross River State with several accusations that the governor was bent on ensuring his kinsman from the northern part of the state was nominated into the board even when Sir Maurice Effiwatt's name was already confirmed in the first list approved by the National Assembly.
Recall that the president had dissolved the board for forensic audit due to several financial misappropriations.
Some section of the news yesterday reported that the new board had no Cross Riverian in the list. But speaking with Hon. Duke, our correspondent learnt Duke's name was read on the floor of the House and he said he is currently undergoing some form of documentation as a new appointee.
TDN also gathered that there have been a lot of in fighting in the state regarding who will be nominated into the board.
In response to this, Orok Duke said
"My name was read on the floor of the house, they communicated to me and we are now doing documentation as I speak to you. What must have transpired before now, should be none of my business, I wouldn't know anything. Off course, you should know I had represented Niger Delta as far back as 1993 I represented Niger Delta in the ConFab and I have written so many books on Bakassi, so if the president found me worthy, fit and proper to be appointed into the board, so be it, I accept it. If the question was if I am going to accept the appointment, Yes! I accept it. It's a call to service."
"Remember the president had before now appointed so many persons and there have been several cancellations, forensics and all that, now everything is okay and we are moving forward. The least I should expect from anybody is congratulations and guidance on how to go about it, some people can be more experience than others in the terrain. But first and foremost, we facing the screening and trying to assemble all the documents and items required, I don't want to be distracted, it's too early."
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