NDDC: Lawyer Wants Commission Relocated to Presidency, Minister Sacked

Itsekiri leader rejects NDDC Board Nominees, demands fairness

Following the crisis rocking the composition of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), a human rights lawyer, Myson Nejo, yesterday called for the sack of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Umana Okon Umana over alleged gross misconduct against the NDDC Act.

This is just as Itsekiri Leader and rights activist, Chief Rita

Lori-Ogbebor, has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to review the new nominees for NDDC board in order to ensure justice, equity and fairness.

The lawyer, in a letter written to President Muhammadu Buhari, also called on the President to remove the supervision of NDDC from the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to the Presidency.

While commending the president on his efforts at repositioning the commission through the institution of the forensic audit, Nejo, in the letter made available to Journalists, described as unethical the nomination of Mr. Charles Ogunmola as the Executive Director, projects representing Ondo State on the Governing Board of NDDC.

According to the human rights lawyer, the NDDC Act stipulated that the representatives on the board must be from oil producing area, with Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State being the only council area in the state that meets the requirements and produced about 5.7 per cent of the total national output.

Stressing that Ogunmola is from Ipele in Owo Local Government in the northern senatorial district of the state, Nejo berated Umana for alleged misleading the President. The lawyer, who also called for the replacement of Ogunmola with someone from the oil-producing Ilaje Local Government, appealed to the president to remove the supervision of NDDC from the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to the Presidency.