New helmsmen at NDDC

Editorial   New helmsmen at NDDC New helmsmen at NDDC — 18th October 2016 THE recent confirmation of the appointment of members of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the Senate last week should bring fresh impetus to the battle against the challenges facing the Niger Delta. It will, hopefully, lead to a new era of speedy and sustainable development of the region. The new helmsmen of the board are Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River) as Chairman, and Mr. Nsima Udo Ekere (Akwa Ibom) as Managing Director/CEO. Other members are Samuel Adjogbe (Delta State), as Executive Director, Projects; Derek Mene (Rivers State) Finance and Administration; Frank George (Akwa Ibom); Brambaifa  Nelson (Bayelsa State) and Sylvester Nsa (Cross River). Also on the new board are Ogaga Ifowodo, Stanley Uwuilekhue, Harry Dabibi, Bernard Banfa,  Mohammed Yahaya and Mustapha Dankadai. Two other nominees confirmed by the Senate are Mohammed Isa-Dutse and Abdul-Kazeem Bayero, from the Federal Ministry of Finance and Ministry of the Environment, respectively. However, the nomination of three others by the Presidency was rejected by the Senate on the grounds that it contravened the NDDC Act 2007. The Act stipulates that only persons from oil-producing communities are eligible for such positions. The new board replaces the one chaired by Mr. Bassey Dan Abia, which was sacked by President Muhammadu Buhari in December, last year. Mrs. Ibim Seminitari served in acting capacity as Chairman /MD for ten months. We urge members of the new board to focus on the mandate of the institution and eschew the politicking and the needless power plays that divided the previous board members and diverted their attention from their responsibilities. We recall the dirty corporate feud  which tore apart the pioneer board members in 2001 and pitched its chairman, Chief Onyema Ugochukwu,  against the then Managing Director, Mr. Godwin Omene. Worse power play took place at the NDDC during the tenure of the board led by Emma Agwariavwodo, which was locked in a battle of supremacy with the then Managing Director, Amb. Sam Edem. The same thing happened during the tenure of Chibuzo Ugwoha as Managing Director in 2010 when the board was dissolved as a result of a vicious power tussle. This is the kind of situation that the present board must avoid. Unity of purpose is required to achieve the lofty mandate of the commission, which includes formulation of policies and guidelines for the development of the Niger Delta; implementation of all measures approved for the development of the region by the Federal government and states in the region; identification of the factors inhibiting the development of the region and assisting the member-states in the formulation and implementation of policies to ensure sound and efficient management of the resources of the area. The board’s other responsibilities include tackling ecological and environmental problems that may arise from the exploration of oil minerals in the region and advising government and member states accordingly, in addition to executing such other works and performing other functions required for the sustainable development of the region. By all standards, these tasks are very important and can only be achieved by a board that is focused on its responsibilities. The members should see their appointment as a call to duty, not as an opportunity to feather their own nests at the detriment of the people of Niger Delta. No doubt, the problems facing the Niger Delta region remain as daunting as they were 16 years ago when the commission was set up by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Sadly, little has been done in all these years to change the lot of the Niger Delta people. The new board should regard this responsibility as one of its priorities, and take urgent steps to correct the alleged marginalization of some of the Niger Delta states. We have no doubt that Sen. Ndoma-Egba has the necessary wealth of experience in both public and community service to chair an important intervention agency like the NDDC. He should, alongside other members of the board, look into the commission’s  Tenders Board which is vested with the authority to award contracts within N250 million and above. The Tenders Board has been one of the major areas of conflict among the board members in the past. It is in respect of this that last year’s report of the Auditor General of the Federation on the probe of N183bn NDDC projects covering 2008-2012 remains contentious. Altogether, public expectation is that the new NDDC board will chart a new course and impact positively on the lives of the people of Niger Delta. Nothing less will do.

The Eagle has landed at NDDC

 

The Eagle has landed at NDDC, 

 That seems what President Buhari is telling Nigerians.

Niger Delta’s Brighter Chances with Ndoma-Egba

September 12, 2016

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Ndoma-Egba...the choice that excites all

The choice of a former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba as chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by President Muhammadu Buhari is a good omen for the oil producing region, writes Jones Ekpa

Expectedly, the Senate of the federal republic of Nigeria would, upon returning from their annual recess this September, consider and confirm the appointment of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba as Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

As one of their own, members of the red chambers are expected to follow legislative oversight tradition and give a “bow-and-go” privilege to the distinguished former senator cum legal luminary, who has exhibited exemplary qualities, when he represented the good people of Cross Rivers Central from 2003, culminating as Senate Leader between 2011 and 2015.

When considered against the background of the strategic significance of the Niger Delta region to the Nigerian federation, Senator Ndoma-Egba’s appointment is a reflection of the commitment and sincerity of the Buhari administration to properly harness the potential of the mineral and human resources rich region and place it in the development trajectory of modern Nigeria.

The region, for her endowment is the major economic backbone of the evolving Nigerian economy and such a strategic position as Chairman of NDDC remains a focal point in many respects.

A journey into the immediate era rife with sleaze and malfeasance in managing the commission, which was purposed to be an interventionist organ of government in harnessing the development potential of the 9 states that make up the Niger Delta region indicates the need to ensure that only knowledgeable individuals take the beckoning responsibility of improving the lots of a people in dire need of genuine transformation.

While past administrations, including the short stint of President Umaru Yar’Adua of blessed memory, which showed exemplary wherewithal in developing the region, have tried in the task of giving the people a better sense of belonging, a new era births with the incumbent administration’s innovations and sincerity.

Since inception, President Buhari has revived the development structure of the region. The administration evolved a citizens’ approach to policy implementation – a break from the past approaches of elites’ engagement; rethinking of past policies to engender better proficiency and the appointments of persons with requisite wherewithal to implement the administration’s visions.

While “disenfranchised” elite, who have hitherto exploited the yearnings of the people for pecuniary benefits continue to show an unfortunate proclivity for pinkish tendencies, a majority of the people of the Niger Delta are tired of being shortchanged by their own and have embraced the noble intentions of the administration.
In a recent engagement with the people of the region through a Town Hall meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru aptly captured the Niger Delta situation, when he declared that government was more interested in “meeting the development needs of the majority” than oblige the excesses of some disgruntled ‘elite.’

This is the essence of the unfolding innovation in meeting the demands of development in the region: a paradigm shift from fulfilling the sense of entitlement of a few people to the utter relegation of the germane issues of development. This is one particular area the administration has got it right.

When the Senate eventually confirms the appointment of Senator Ndoma-Egba, it would be the administration’s way of further enhancing the prospects of the entire Niger Delta region. The erudite lawyer and distinguished lawmaker needs no introduction, having cut his teeth in public service from age 29, when he served in the old Cross River State as a high-ranking government official. His stellar career as erudite lawmaker and lawyer with the experience garnered over the years as champion of the course of the region are added advantages.

A broader perspective to brighter chances for the Niger Delta under Ndoma-egba as Chairman of NDDC is the prospects of financial probity and accountability which he would bring on board. Hitherto, the story of NDDC has been that of financial recklessness and impunity with little regards for sound auditing. Development projects purported to serve the needs of the collective were awarded to cronies of powers-that-be and subsequently abandoned with little or no fear of auditing.

A situation where stupendous funds were voted for the commission with little to show for was the bane of development that negated the intent of the framers of NDDC.
It’s heart-warming that the incoming chairman of NDDC will restore the confidence of the people of the Niger Delta through his penchant for accountability and sincerity. There can be no genuine development when those at the helms of affairs of development agencies like NDDC show half-hearted commitment to the job and this trend is expected to be reversed with the coming of Ndoma-Egba.

Responsibility also beckons on the people of the region, including the elite, agitators and all Niger Deltans to create an atmosphere for implementing Ndoma-Egba’s magic wand of performance. The people must commit to peace so as to key into President Buhari’s blueprint for change and progress in the entire region.
-Ekpa, an auditing professional wrote from Abuja

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A broader perspective to brighter chances for the Niger Delta under Ndoma-egba as Chairman of NDDC is the prospects of financial probity and accountability which he would bring on board. Hitherto, the story of NDDC has been that of financial recklessness and impunity with little regards for sound auditing. Development projects purported to serve the needs of the collective were awarded to cronies of powers-that-be and subsequently abandoned with little or no fear of auditing

PROFILE; Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba SAN

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The Authority Icon: VICTOR NDOMA-EGBA For articulating significant positions as a national parliamentarian to leverage society and for using the instrumentality of law to impact his region and country; for demonstrating that with focus, discipline and commitment, dreams can indeed be achieved, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba is The AUTHORITY Icon.   Lawyer and politician Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba was born on 8 March 1956 in Ikom, Cross River State. He has an LL.B degree from the University of Lagos and an LLM degree from the University of Calabar. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978 and was elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2004. He has been Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Calabar Branch, and President of the Calabar Chamber of Commerce. He has also been Director of the Cross River Basin and Rural Development Authority, and Commissioner for Works & Transport. Running as a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Victor Ndoma-Egba was elected as senator in the 5th (2003–2007) National Assembly representing Cross River Central Senatorial District, and was reelected in 2007 for a further four-year term. He was a member of senate committees on Upstream Petroleum Resources, Human Rights and Legal Matters, and Information and Media, and deputy chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the Nigerian Senate. In May 2008, Ndoma-Egba spoke in favor of reform of the Nigeria Police Act, which came into effect on April 1, 1943 and has essentially been unchanged since that time. In May 2009, he accused the Action Congress Party of delays in listing the 37 Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State in the constitution. Representative Bola Gbabijo refuted these charges. In January 2013, Victor Ndoma-Egba said that the solution to Cross River community clashes was the National Boundary Commission becoming involved in the demarcation of boundary lines. He was reelected as Senator for Cross River Central on 26 April 2011 on the PDP platform, winning 143,537 votes, while the runner up was Patric Iwara of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), who gained 47,656 votes. More recently, citing irreconcilable differences, he quit the PDP Ndoma-Egba is happily married with three children.