Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) South South stakeholders has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to return the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) under the Presidency.
The stakeholders, in statement issued by the APC National Vice Chairman, South South, Prince Hilliard Eta, pleaded that the forensic audit of NDDC, as requested by the president, should be limited within the period of the water hyacinth contract.
He maintained that the recent crisis in the commission was causing an embarrassment to the South South APC stakeholders.
The APC National Vice Chairman further submitted that each time Niger Delta heads the Ministry of Niger Delta and directed to oversee the NDDC, he uses it to play personal politics.
The stakeholders claimed in the statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, that it was wrong for the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to set up an interim management team for the commission against the management team approved by the president.
Eta, who frowned at the ways and manner of the administration of NDDC by the current Minister of Niger Delta said: “Anytime the Niger Delta Ministry is being headed by Niger Delta person and the NDDC is under it, they use the NDDC to play personal politics.”
He called on the president to adjust the forensic auditing of the NDDC to commence from the time of water hyacinth contract, stressing: “If there is going to be a forensic audit of NDDC, they should start with the last water hyacinth contract that was done between the office of the Minister of Niger Delta and the office of the Acting Managing Director of NDDC.”
On the recent interim management team of NDDC set up by the Minister of Niger Delta, the APC South South National Vice Chairman said: “Akpabio should not be embarrassing us. The president has set up a governing council and Akpabio would come and set up an interim management committee. It is unacceptable to the stakeholders of the Niger Delta.
“It is our position that the NDDC should be removed from the Ministry of Niger Delta and brought back to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) under the Presidency where the Niger Delta people can have maximum benefit,” he said in the statement.
