Obey court order directing inauguration of NDDC Board, group urges Malami

A civil society group under the auspices of Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy VATLAD, has asked the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Mallami to allow the inauguration of the substantive Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as instructed by Justice Isa Dashen of the Federal High Court, Yenegoa, Bayelsa State.

The Group said it was the right thing to do just as the Federal Government is undergoing the processes of expunging section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 2022 as directed by a Federal High Court in Umuahia.

National President of the group, Comrade Igbini Odafe argued that the action was justified since the Senate has already confirmed the nominees since 2019.

He regretted that the inuaguration was put on hold allegedly to allow for the Forensic Auditing of the Commission, an Audit that has since been concluded and the Report submitted to President Buhari though the AGF.

“We call on and demand of AGF, Malami, to immediately and unconditionally carry out the explicit and justified Orders of this Federal High Court, the same way he speedily carried out the Orders given by the Federal High Court, Umuahia to delete Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 which Mr Malami has consistently and publicly demanded of the Nigerian Senate to do.

“We hasten to remind him that the Nigerian Senate has on many occasions directed that this Board be immediately inaugurated to serve the people of the Niger Delta Region.

“The AGF must obey and immediately carry out this Order of the Federal High Court, Yenegoa, to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that he is not the single person who has been the obstruction to the inauguration of this substantive Board of NDDC since year 2019.

“We want to hasten to remind President Buhari of our previous Advice to him and APC that they must be mindful of being misled to violate the clear position of the NDDC Act which stipulates that only the Nigerian Senate screened and confirmed Board is to manage and administer the NDDC. Nobody else under any guise.

“We also remind both President Buhari and APC of the dire political consequences they stand to suffer come 2023 General Elections if they continue to allow a few persons mislead them to do this grave Injustice to the exploited and suffering women, mothers, wives, children and husbands of the Oil Producing States of the Niger Delta Region who stand to better their lives, address Environmental Disasters as a result of continued exploration and exploitation of Oil and Gas, and restore the worsening state of Roads and few other Public Infrastructures in the Region through the NDDC when only managed and administered by Substantive Governing Boarding rightly nominated by the President of Nigeria, screened and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate.

“There is no doubt that since 2019 that the NDDC has been placed under the authority of unlawful and illegal one-man Sole Administrator, the lives of the people of the Niger Delta Region have regrettably continued to witnessed Hopelessness due to sudden absence of NDDC’s projects and supports in the Region.” (Saturday Independent)