From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
The Delta Niger Delta Development Agenda (NDDA), on Thursday said it will not condone any attempt to malign the Executive Director of the Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Mrs. Stella Okotete.
NDDA, a pan-Niger Delta group, was reacting to petition by some groups including lawyers, who faulted the appointment of Okotete.
National coordinator of the NDDA, Mr. Iteveh Nur’ Ekpokpobe and national secretary, Karo Edor, in a joint statement, urged those against Okotete to properly verify their facts and provisions of the law before making comments.
The statement which was made available to our correspondent in Asaba, described the petition as baseless, and laced with deliberate maliciousness to bring an illustrious daughter of Niger Delta to disrepute before the public.
According to NDDA, judging by the names of those who signed the petition; the CSO was playing an ethnic card, and in accordance with the dictates of a faceless party which would soon be exposed.
“As a pan-Niger Delta group we shall not fold arms and watch traducers pull down one of our very best who has performed impeccably well in her capacity as the Executive Director, Business Development,” it stated.
The group restated that there was no provision in the NEXIM Act that lays out the qualifications for appointment of Executive Directors or any director of the bank as appointments were purely at the prerogative of Mr. President.
The NDDA stressed that Okotete has performed well in her capacity as an Executive Director which has in turn led to the growth of the bank.
“Section 14 (1) a, b and c of Nexim Act states that the bank shall be exempted from provisions of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA), among others particularly section 47 of the Act.
“We hereby urge the public to disregard the publication forthwith as it was done with malicious intents.
“We also sound a note of warning to any other group who may pop their heads in future to turn their face away from our illustrious daughter or face the tune,” the group stressed.
