The Senate on Thursday screened the former Deputy Governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu as the Nominee for the position of Chairman, Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Delta North led Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs to also screened the nominee for the position of Managing Director, Bernard Okumagba from Delta State and other nominees.
Also screened were Otobong Ndem from Akwa Ibom, who was appointed the Executive Director, Projects and Maxwell Oko from Bayelsa as Executive Director, Finance and Administration.
While at the screening exercise, chairmanship nominee of the governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Pius Odubu, has promised to tackle youth restiveness in the region.
Odubu, who is a former deputy governor of Edo State spoke against the backdrop of the negative reports against the commission.
He made the pledge yesterday during his screening by the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.
Chief Bernard Okumagba, a nominee for the post of managing director of the interventionist agency was also asked to “take a bow and go” the committee attested to his suitability for the job.
There was however drama when the nominee for the post of Executive Director, Projects, Otobong Ndem (Akwa Ibom), appeared before the committee.
A member of the panel, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, picked holes in his curriculum vitae.
He sought to know why there were discrepancies in the chronology of the candidate’s educational progression.
Besides, the Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition (NDCSC) has raised concern that there was already a subtle attempt by irredeemable political interests to derail President Muhammadu Buhari’s order for a forensic audit of the Niger Delta Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
NDCSC National Co-ordinator, Anyakwee Nsirimovu, said the President must insist on an independent exercise, as anything short of this would be a death nail on his global stand on integrity and the whole gamut of anti-corruption agenda.
He stated that enabling an independent forensic audit and strengthening the institutional frameworks of the NDDC would help make economic and social development reform programmes coherent, sustainable as well as facilitate effective democratic governance and combat rampant corruption within the commission.
However, the Interim Acting Managing Director of the commission NDDC, Dr. Joi Nunieh, has promised that the exercise would not be compromised.
Speaking in Port Harcourt, she said: “We are here because Mr. President expects that the forensic audit should be done properly from 2001 to date. There will be no compromises and the people will know that a new team is here to work.”
Nunieh said her team would pursue the developmental programmes of the Nigerian leader.
