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‘NDDC MD, Board Appointment Contravenes Law’

Human rights activist and leader of the Itsekiri community in Delta State, Rita Lori-Ogbebor, has said that the appointment of Bernard Okumagba and Pius Odubu as the managing director and chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), respectively contravenes the Act that set up the commission.
Speaking during a press conference in Lagos, yesterday, she said that the law, which set up the commission, takes cognisance of the oil and gas producing communities/states in the appointment of the chairman and MD of the commission but that this practice was not followed in the recent appointment.
She accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and former governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, of being behind the appointment of Okumgba and Odubu.
The former, it was learnt, was Uduaghan’s commissioner for finance, while Odubu was the deputy governor to Oshiomhole during his administration in Edo State.
“We vehemently protest some of the recent appointments made to the NDDC board because of the non-compliance with the NDDC law, lack of equity, fairness, and justice to the Itsekiri people.
“We know that President Muhammadu Buhari stands for these same values and it is also important that he addresses this continuing and arduous impunity being undertaken by some persons acting on behalf of the Federal Government to deprive us of our rightful dues.
“The NDDC law was intended to fast track the development of the region, which underdevelopment has been identified and confirmed by the Willinks Commission report as far back as 1956. The law designed an intervention agency as an organisation to be run by qualified indigenes of the oil and gas producing communities /states.
“The NDDC by law and in practice takes cognisance of the oil and gas producing communities/states in the appointment to its boards and its staffing appointment of the chairman of the commission.
“Indeed, one provision of the NDDC law for the appointment to the office of the chairman is that, this time, the letter E’’ is taken before the letter ‘D.’ Why is it considered expedient to appoint a candidate from Edo State at a time when it is lawfully the turn of Delta State?
“Assuming that the appointment of a chairman from Edo State was necessitated by appointment of the managing director from Delta state, why should the proposed candidate be Bernard Okumagba who does not come from an oil-producing community? Is there paucity of candidates from oil and gas-producing communities? I say an emphatic no. Okumagba is from Okere-Urhobo in Warri which is not an oil and gas-producing community or even, at least, from one of the ‘’impacted’’ communities, as defined by our laws and practice.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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