NDDC: Appointment Of Sole Administrator Not Illegal — Akpabio

Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio has said that the
appointment of a sole administrator for the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC) by President Muhamamadu Buhari is not
illegal.

Akpabio, who stated this at the opening ceremony of the 4th
meeting of the National Council on Niger Delta, Friday, in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State, insisted that it was wrong to refer to a
Presidential appointment as illegal.

He also explained that, “even the first executive director of
finance and administration acted as sole administrator of NDDC at
various times, we have also had a sole administrator from River
State in the person of Semeitare, we have also had one from Cross
River State, as well as Mrs. Enya from Bayelsa While awaiting the
confirmation of a board.”

He added, “It’s not correct that the NDDC has done well, they
have not done well, even during my time as Governor they didn’t do
well.

“But the appointment of a sole administrator for the NDDC today
cannot be regarded as illegality.”

According to the Minister, there was need to look at the
developmental challenges of the region before talking about the
board, maintaining that the board is just a conglomeration of
appointees from politicians.

Akpabio disclosed that “governors from the Niger Delta region
had told the President that they wanted a forensic audit of the
NDDC before going ahead to bring on a board.”

He further disclosed that the ideal of interim management was to
oversee the audit so that the result will be given to the new board
for implementation and assured that a new board of NDDC was still
coming.

“But the question is, after 19 years of board what have we got
to show.

“Today Buhari realised that there was need to reposition the
NDDC to meet the yearnings and aspiration of people in the region
and instituted a forensic audit which is different from statutory
audit.

“The forensic audit is aim at asking questions about why are we
here? Where we are now? Otherwise the NDDC was dripping to a total
collapse.

“We believe strongly that at the end of that exercise we will
come up with a workable recommendation, nobody is going to be a
permanent Minister or President but let us create a structure for
posterity to judge us. This is where I think the President should
be commended.”

The Minister decried the lack of harmony between development
agencies and the Niger Delta state governments.

“Some State Governors have sent thugs to chase NDDC contractors
out of the site even when they have no budget to develop that
particular Infrastructure, so when that happens, how can that lead
to harmony?

“We have a budget through the year, the NDDC looks at the
budget, and stakeholders approach the NDDC to say that the state
governments have left a developmental plan if they could get
assistance and as an intervention agency we will say we will come
take care of it, it is that time the state governments will say
that they have planned to do it in the next two years that we must
leave their domain.

“This leaving of domain is not as a result of the fact that they
don’t want the infrastructure but because of political
differences.

“My own belief is that development should not have column,
development should not have political party because what the people
need is Infrastructure, whether you are in harmonious relationship
or not, give the people what they need, they also need employment.
So many governments come and go and you don’t see a single industry
on ground,” the Minister noted.

Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio has said that the
appointment of a sole administrator for the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC) by President Muhamamadu Buhari is not
illegal.

Akpabio, who stated this at the opening ceremony of the 4th
meeting of the National Council on Niger Delta, Friday, in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State, insisted that it was wrong to refer to a
Presidential appointment as illegal.

He also explained that, “even the first executive director of
finance and administration acted as sole administrator of NDDC at
various times, we have also had a sole administrator from River
State in the person of Semeitare, we have also had one from Cross
River State, as well as Mrs. Enya from Bayelsa While awaiting the
confirmation of a board.”

He added, “It’s not correct that the NDDC has done well, they
have not done well, even during my time as Governor they didn’t do
well.

“But the appointment of a sole administrator for the NDDC today
cannot be regarded as illegality.”

According to the Minister, there was need to look at the
developmental challenges of the region before talking about the
board, maintaining that the board is just a conglomeration of
appointees from politicians.

Akpabio disclosed that “governors from the Niger Delta region
had told the President that they wanted a forensic audit of the
NDDC before going ahead to bring on a board.”

He further disclosed that the ideal of interim management was to
oversee the audit so that the result will be given to the new board
for implementation and assured that a new board of NDDC was still
coming.

“But the question is, after 19 years of board what have we got
to show.

“Today Buhari realised that there was need to reposition the
NDDC to meet the yearnings and aspiration of people in the region
and instituted a forensic audit which is different from statutory
audit.

“The forensic audit is aim at asking questions about why are we
here? Where we are now? Otherwise the NDDC was dripping to a total
collapse.

“We believe strongly that at the end of that exercise we will
come up with a workable recommendation, nobody is going to be a
permanent Minister or President but let us create a structure for
posterity to judge us. This is where I think the President should
be commended.”

The Minister decried the lack of harmony between development
agencies and the Niger Delta state governments.

“Some State Governors have sent thugs to chase NDDC contractors
out of the site even when they have no budget to develop that
particular Infrastructure, so when that happens, how can that lead
to harmony?

“We have a budget through the year, the NDDC looks at the
budget, and stakeholders approach the NDDC to say that the state
governments have left a developmental plan if they could get
assistance and as an intervention agency we will say we will come
take care of it, it is that time the state governments will say
that they have planned to do it in the next two years that we must
leave their domain.

“This leaving of domain is not as a result of the fact that they
don’t want the infrastructure but because of political
differences.

“My own belief is that development should not have column,
development should not have political party because what the people
need is Infrastructure, whether you are in harmonious relationship
or not, give the people what they need, they also need employment.
So many governments come and go and you don’t see a single industry
on ground,” the Minister noted.