NDDC: Senate C’ttee in rowdy session over screening of Onochie

.As Ondo lawmakers reject State’s nominee

Adekunle Adesuji, Abuja

The screening of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Assistant on Social Media,  Lauretta Onochie as Chairman, Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, on Thursday generated rowdy session in the Senate Committee.

The rowdiness at the screening was as result concern raised by Senator Seriaki Dickson who observed that the Chairmanship nominee is not from Oil producing community in Delta state.

He added that her nomination is against the NDDC Act and as such cannot chair the commission.

Senator Dickson’s observation led to argument among lawmakers who say the section 12(1) in question is ambiguous and did not specify that the position of the chairman must come from an oil producing area in the NDDC Act.

Senator Orji Kalu however told his colleagues that Onyema Ugochukwu a former NDDC first executive chairman was appointed from Abia State in 2008

After a heated argument the committee resolved to have an executive session on the nomination of Lauretta Onochie

Also, Senators from Ondo State kicked against the nomination of  Charles Ogunmola, for Executive Director, Projects, in a petition written to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.

Out of the 15 nominees   slated for screening, two were absent for screening slated for Thursday which include Ondo state nominee

During the screening, one of the Senators from the State, Nicholas Tofomowo rejected the nominee from the state because he  is from the oil producing community in the state.

He added that the nominee’s appointment is rejected in line with section 12 sub section one of the NDDC Act.

Section 12(1) reads, “There shall be for the commission a managing director, executive director, all shall be indigenes of oil producing areas starting with, member state of the commission with the highest producing quantum of oil and shall rotate among member states in order of performance.
The other nominees had a smooth sail, as all twelve who appeared were asked to take a bow after few interrogations.

This is the second time Buhari is forwarding a list of nominees for the NDDC board for confirmation to the Senate.

He sent the first list of nominees for the board in 2019 and the Senate screened and confirmed the nominees but they were never inaugurated

The nominees that scaled through include Dimgba Erugba (State Representative, Abia, South-East);
Dr. M.M Willcox Wills (State Representative, Akwa Ibom, South -South); Elder Senator Dimaroe Daniya Bofa (State Representative, Bayelsa State, South -South) and Hon. Orok Duke (State Representative, Cross River, South-South)

Others are Hon. Gbenga Edema (State Representative, Ondo State, South – West); Elekwachi Dimkpa (State Representative, Rivers State, South-South); Alhaji Mohammed Kabir Abubakar, (Zonal Representative, Nasarawa State, North-Central); Alhaji Sule Ikoh Sadiq Sami (Zonal Representative, Kebbi State, North-West);
Prof. Tahir Momoh SAN, (Zonal Representative, Adamawa State, North-East); Chief Samuel Ogbokwu, Managing Director for a term of two years to complete the term of his predecessor in office (Bayelsa State, South-South) and Major Gen. Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (Rtd)(Executive Director, Finance, Edo State, South-South)