Lauretta Onochie, 9 others confirmed to NDDC

Mrs. Lauretta Ifeanyi Onochie, Special Assistant on news media to President Muhammadu Buhari from Delta State was confirmed by the Senate as the Chairman, board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

13 out of the 15 appointments were confirmed by the Senate. Also confirmed by the Senate  Chief Samuel Ogbuku for the position of Managing Director for a term of two years, to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor in office.

Major-General Charles Airhiavbere, retd from Edo State, South-South for the position of Executive Director, Finance. and Charles Ogunmola, Ondo State, South West for the position of Executive Director, Projects were among others confirmed as well.

The confirmation of the Chairman and other board members by the Senate was a sequel to the presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs by the Acting Chairman, Senator Buius Amos, APC, Gombe South.

The confirmation was carried out in spite of criticisms that trailed the nomination of Ogunmola from Ondo State where the three Senators from the State had written a protest letter to the Committee on Niger Delta Affairs rejecting the name against the backdrop that he is from Owo, a non oil producing area of the state.

Senator Nicholas Tofowomo, PDP, Ondo spoke on behalf of the Deputy Senate Leader, Robert Ajayi Boroffice, APC, Ondo North and Senator Ayo Akinyelure, PDP, Ondo Central.

Recall that a Federal High Court, Abuja, had last week stopped the National Assembly from screening and confirming the nominated chairman and Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie and Chief Samuel Ogbuku.

It ordered that all actions on the matter be suspended pending the determination of the suit filed by Chief Edward Ekpokpo Esq., Engr. Victor Wood (both representing the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILOT) and Mr Edward Omagbemi (representing Omadino Unity Forum) on behalf of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality, challenging the nomination of the duo as Chairman and MD of the NDDC board.

The Senate however stepped down the confirmation of former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr Pius Egberanwen Odubu, State Representative, Edo State, South and Engr.  Anthony Okanne, Imo State, South East for non-appearance for screening before the Committee.

Odubu had earlier been screened and confirmed as Chairman of the board on November 5, 2019, but the board was never inaugurated.

His name was sent back to the Senate in the new list sent by Buhari last November but as Edo State representative. He, however, did not show up for screening and the Senate in its report presented on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, chose to step down his nomination.

The Committee in the report said, ” During the Screening exercise, the Committee observed that two of the Presidential Nominees were absent and there was no information from the Senior Special Assistant to Mr President on National Assembly Matters( Senate) explaining their absence. The two Presidential Nominees that were absent and therefore not screened are Dr Pius Egberanwen Odubu, Nominees to represent Edo State on the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and Engr. Anthony Okanne, Nominee to represent Imo State on the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Accordingly, the Committee stepped down the screening of the two nominees for the reason of non-appearance before the Committee.”

Also confirmed were Dimgba Erugba (State Representative, Abia, South-East; Dr Emem Wilcos Wills, State Representative, Akwa Ibom, South-South; Elder Dimaro Denyabofa,  State Representative, Bayelsa State, South-South;  Hon. Orok Duke, State Representative, Cross River, South-South;  South-East and Hon. Gbenga Edema,  State Representative, Ondo State, South-West.

Others were  Elekwachi Dinkpa, State Representative, Rivers State, South-South;  Alhaji Mohammed Kabir Abubakar, ( Zonal Representative, Nasarawa State, North-Central; Alhaji Sule Iko Sadeeq Sani Sami (Zonal Representative, Kebbi State, North-West; and Professor Tahir Mamman, SAN, (Zonal Representative, Adamawa State, North-East.

Prior to the confirmation, Senators had raised objections to the confirmation of some of the appointees like  Lauretta  Onochie as Chairman of the Board and Charles Ogunmola as Executive Director  ( Project).

The Senators were Seriake Dickson, PDP Bayelsa West and Nicholas Tofowomo,  PDP Ondo South.

Objecting to the nomination of Onochie and some other nominees, Senator Dickson alleged not to come from oil-producing areas and said that bad precedents should not be laid with such confirmation.

Seriaki Dickson who commended President Muhammadu Buhari, said, ” at least finally we have the President’s nominations to properly constitute the board as required by the act.

“I want to in that same vein commend you the President of the Senate and distinguished senators for the very patriotic position that this senate has had to take on the issue of the composition and ensuring the proper functioning and operations of that critical body.

“The Senate President Knows and that is the benefit of longevity, that when this Act was proposed by the then President Obasanjo, it was the patriotism of the National Assembly under the leadership of late Senate President Chuba  Okadigbo and Ghali Umar Na’ abba as Speaker and Lawan then a member of the House and some who were privileged to be in the National Assembly at that time and for the first time overrule the President’s veto to ensure the passage of the Act of the NDDC.

“So the current law regulating the NDDC is actually a baby of this National Assembly. It could be recalled I’m that context that it was National they insisted on the requirements of indegeneship for the nominations.

“It was not an Executive proposal, it was not contained in the executive proposal that was sent. “The national assembly did it for good reason because it was the product and the agitation of the people of the oil-producing communities and the national assembly thought in its wisdom that those who will constitute this agency and drive it should be people who are from the area, who knows the area and who most importantly feels the pains of the people.

“A lot of water, unfortunately, dirty water has passed under the bridge, I can not say we have faithfully implemented it up until this point.”

He submitted that a clause should be added in their resolution calling on President and all future President who will have to implement the act to comply in their positions with the requirement of indigeneship, the clause says that the nominee must come from oil-producing areas.

“No matter how you interpret it, it can not go outside the community, local government and it should in my view not go outside the senatorial district.”

The  President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan who quickly interrupted Senator Dickson, told him to talk for himself and not other Senators.

Also in his objection to the nomination of Ogunmola, Senator Nicholas Tofowomo who took a swipe at the report, said that the report presented by the acting Chairman of the Committee, Senator  Amos Bulus not contain objections raised by the entire three Senators from Ondo State against the South West nominee ( Charles Ogunmola), shows that justice was not done on the screening.

Tofowomo said, “This report will have been very beautiful if the chairman had refered to our position in Ondo state that the three senators declined to support someone and that is not the end of the road but it is good because the whole world is watching us and listening to us.

“The chairman should have submitted a meaningful report that would have contained how everything went, it would have given us that the committee did this and took this direction that at the end of the day, I believe the chairman did not do justice to that. It is very unfortunate.”

Lawan subtly ignored him by calling on the Majority Leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, APC, Sokoto East to move for Committee of the whole where all the nominees except two who were absent from screening, were confirmed.

In his remarks after the confirmation of  Onochie and 12 others, the President of the Senate

who demanded for a forensic report on the Commission, asked the confirmed Chairman and members of the NDDC board to as a matter of urgency hit the ground running against the backdrop that much time has been lost.

Lawan said, “At last we have the Commission has gotten the proper management and board and I believe that time is of the essence here the chain and members should hit the ground running so much time has been lost.

According to Buhari in the letter, Chief Samuel Ogbuku would serve as the Managing Director for a term of two years to complete the term of his predecessor in office. Bayelsa State, South-South while Major General Charles Airhiavbere, retd is  the Executive Director, Finance and Charles Ogunmola, Executive Director Project, Ondo, South-West.

Other members of the NDDC board as forwarded to the Senate are Former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu as State Representative, Edo State, South -South; Dimgba Erugba (State Representative, Abia, South-East); Dr. Emem Wilcos Wills, State Representative, Akwa Ibom, South -South; Elder Dimaro Denyabofa,  State Representative, Bayelsa State, South -South;  Hon. Orok Duke, State Representative, Cross River, South-South;  Engineer Anthony Okanne,  State Representative, Imo State, South-East and Hon. Gbenga Edema,  State Representative, Ondo State, South – West.

Others were Elekwachi Dinkpa, State Representative, Rivers State, South-South;  Alhaji Mohammed Kabir Abubakar, ( Zonal Representative, Nasarawa State, North-Central; Alhaji Sule Iko Sadeeq Sani Sami (Zonal Representative, Kebbi State, North-West; and Professor Tahir Mamman, SAN, (Zonal Representative, Adamawa State, North-East.

(Vanguard)