The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Sen. Victor Ndoma Egba and Nsima Udo Ekere as Chairman and Managing Director respectively of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Fourteen (14) other nominees were also confirmed as members of the board on Tuesday 11th October 2016. Chairman Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Sen. Peter Nwaboshi (PDP:Delta) while presenting the report of the committee’s screening, noted that the nomination of Donatus Enyinnah (Abia) and Olatokunbo Ayotunde Ajasin (Ondo) was rejected by the committee on the grounds that both nominees were not from oil producing local government areas in their States contrary to section 2(1) of the NDDC Act 2000 which provides that nominees should be from oil producing areas. Sen. Nwaboshi also noted that petitioners from Ondo state came in 11 buses during the screening to protest the nomination of the candidate from Ondo state on the above ground. He also informed the Senate that the nominee from Imo State, Sen. Osita Bonaventure Izunaso did not appear for screening but wrote a letter to the committee declining his nomination on the basis that he was not from an oil producing local government area in the State. He further mentioned that the screening of Igo Weli was stood down based on the fact that his designation was that of representative of Niger Delta. He stated that the designation provided for under the NDDC Act 2000 was that of representative of oil producing companies.
While commenting on the rejection of the candidates from Abia and Ondo states Sen. Olusola Adeyeye (APC:Osun) was of the opinion that the NDDC Act 2000 was not explicit in its provision by stating categorically that a nominee should be from an oil producing local government and as such the nominees should not have been disqualified on such basis. Taking a different position on the matter Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP:Abia) said it was prudent to stick to the tradition of taking nominees from oil producing local government areas to avoid unnecessary agitations.
The Senate adopted the recommendations of the committee following a voice vote.
