The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and the Centre for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (CHURAC) have lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his decision to reconstitute and inaugurate the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) after the end of the ongoing forensic audit of the commission.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesìna had earlier, on Thursday, announced that President Buhari has “approved that the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) be recomposed and inaugurated after the forensic audit of the organisation.
“The President has also directed that the Interim Management Team of the NDDC shall be in place till the forensic is completed and that the supervision of the Commission shall remain under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.”
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Excited by the sudden twist which it claimed aligned with its earlier stance, IYC, through its president, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, Esq., on Thursday, expressed gratitude to “Buhari for graciously looking into the concerns of Niger Delta people in terminating the NDDC Management Board.”
It argued that from the outset, “there was no way the Board would stand the test of time given the litany of cases in courts, contesting the legality of its composition.
“In fact, the Board was illegally constituted because the enabling Act was not complied with. IYC and those agitating for the right thing to be done are vindicated.”
The IYC, therefore, urged President Buhari to “follow the law stricto sensu when reconstituting the Management Board. He should not allow politicians to mislead him into doing their fraudulent biddings.”
Cleric E. Alaowei, Esq., Chairman, Board of Trustees/ National President, CHURAC, on his part, also lauded President Buhari for treading the path of honour by listening to the voice of reason to dissolve the already-constituted NDDC board.
“The timely decision by President Buhari to terminate his hitherto illegally constituted Management Board of the NDDC is a victory for the public interest litigators.
“CHURAC and other well-meaning Nigerians actually challenged the legality of the President to appoint Chairman of the Board from Edo State without following the rotational circle as provided by the NDDC Establishment Act, 2000.
“While we are not trying to preempt the courts of their findings, we are happy that Mr President has looked into the concerns of the Niger Delta people, especially as they relate to following due processes of the laws.
“We make bold to say that the now-disbanded board was illegally constituted by the President. The decision, therefore, to lay it off is in the right step in the right direction.
“CHURAC is in support of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) since that is within the purview of Mr President in the absence of a substantive board.
“The tripartite decisions of the presidency to disband the illegally constituted management board, set up IMC and empanel forensic auditors to audit the Commission from 2001 to date are very commendable.
“CHURAC is in agreement with public opinions that the NDDC is swimming in a humongous corruption.
“Any step taken to weed the Commission of the unchecked corruption is a right step that should be applauded by every right-thinking individual.
“The Trillions of naira the Commission has allegedly spent on projects in the region since its establishment in 2001 did not correspond with what is on the ground.
“The Commission was not just poorly managed by successive management teams, politicians have turned it into a looting spree to pilfer away our common patrimony.
“The forensic auditors should be very meticulous. No stone should be left unturned.
“CHURAC will give all necessary supports to the government and the forensic auditors to ensure that we have a sanitised Commission,” he enthused.
The IYC and CHURAC called on the Interim Management Committee to do its job discreetly while it’s tenure lasts, pledging to work with the forensic auditors to ensure that the rampant corruption in the commission is tamed.