Groups Fault NDDC Board Tenure Elongation

Some groups in the Niger delta region have picked holes in the tenure elongation of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the Federal Government.
A group, under the auspices of Concerned Niger Deltans (CND) has faulted the tenure elongation of the present board of the commission by the Federal Government, describing the act as illegal.
The group, in a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, called for the reversal of the tenure elongation or the decision would be challenged in a competent court of law.
According to the protest letter which was signed by the leader of the group, Prince Yekini Nabena, the body urged President Buhari to adhere strictly to the provisions of the laws establishing the commission in the interest of peace in the Niger Delta.
The group said the elongation of the tenure of the present board of the commission from 2017 to 2019 was a breach of the rotational order of the appointment of the commission’s board.
Chairmanshipof the board started with Abia State taking the lead, slot Onyenma Ugochukwu from 2000 to 2004. The body said, the appointment of the new board of NDDC by the Buhari administration, headed by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba should add to the tenure of his kinsman, Senator Bassey Ewa Henshaw to complete the slot of Cross River State.
The group maintained that the purported tenure elongation was an affront to the good people of Niger Delta region on the ground that it violated Section 5 (3) of the NDDC Act” and is therefore, unacceptable.
Similarly, another body under the platform of the Izon Young Professionals Forum (IYPF) has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, over the tenure elongation of the NDDC board.
In an open letter to the President, signed by its National Secretary, Barr. Amatare Wilson-Jumbo, the body said the tenure elongation was not only morally wrong, but also illegal.
It warned against the tendency of crisis in the oil-rich region, noting that the principles of rotation should be adhered to in the interest of peace and justice in the region.

By: Taneh Beemene.