Isaiah Eka

Uyo, June 25, 2021

The Federal Government has been urged to ensure that appointment of members into the  Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Board is devoid of politics and party patronage.

Alhaji Abubakar Brown, the National Director of Mobilisation, Movement for the Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND),  made the call in Uyo on Friday.

MOSIEND is a pan Niger Delta Group.

Brown, while interacting with newsmen, said that the board appointment should be based on stakeholders’ driven process to ensure better service delivery.

“Concerning the Management of NDDC, MOSIEND is also not comfortable with the politics surrounding the NDDC Board composition, where the positions are used for political patronages.

“This sacrifices merit and showcases  incompetent results which are the core reasons for the endless setback of the interventionist agency.

“Board appointment should be devoid of politics and party patronage, it should be a stakeholders’ driven process.

“We opine that the governors of the region should invite Chief Timi Alaibe for a discussion and recommend strongly for his appointment as the Managing Director of NDDC to reposition the agency for optimal service delivery.

“We have to get it right,” Brown said.

Brown said the group agreed with the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, that the ongoing field forensic audit, if allowed to be completed, the outcome would create a totally clean and safe working environment for the new board.

He, however, expressed doubt over the competence and genuineness of the auditing firm to deliver on its mandate within the period in view.

Brown urged Akpabio to direct that the auditors be  immediately mobilised to the site as the stakeholders in the communities were waiting to receive them and compare their checklists for onward verification and assessment.

According to him, the auditors have to do a thorough and transparent job and not squander government resources by hiding under any disguise of time constraints thereby doing a shoddy job.

He also said that the minister should engage with all concerned parties and seek to extend the timeline for submission of the report of the auditors.