Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has urged Nigerians to stop referring to President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of a sole administrator for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as ‘illegality’.
In a statement made available to Journalist in Abuja on Friday, Akpabio stated this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the opening ceremony of the 4th meeting of the National Council on Niger Delta.
The Minister who said it was wrong to refer to a Presidential appointment as illegality,explained: “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 Rivers State in the person of Semenitari, we have also had one from Cross River State, as well as Mrs. Enya from Bayelsa While awaiting the confirmation of a board”
According to him, “It’s not correct that the NDDC has done well, they have not done well, even in 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.” Noting that there was need to look at the developmental challenges of the region before talking about the board, he maintained 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 idea 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?” Akpabio asked.
He explained further: “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 aimed 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.”
