Mick Oseji, Asaba
A group of stakeholders in oil bearing Niger Delta region – Concerned Niger Delta Stakeholders (CNDS), has advised Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege on Mrs Lauretta Onochie; the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media.
CNDS urged Omo – Agege not to allow himself to be an obstacle to approval of President Buhari’s nominees’ list of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) governing board.
The list which has Lauretta Onochie as NDDC’s board chairperson, was recently transmitted to the Senate for its consent.
The President nominated Mrs. Onochie as the regional agency’s Managing Director.
The President also nominated others as members of the Board including Chief Dr Samuel Ibukun as Managing Director.
The NDDC board nominees, according to the letter, are Laureta Ifeanyi Onochie (Delta, South-South) as Chairman; Dimgba Erugba State representative (Abia, South-East); Dr Ene Wilcox (Akwa Ibom, State Representative, South-South); Dr Pius Odudu (Edo, South-South); Hon. Gbenga Odegba (Ondo, South-West) and Engr. Anthony Ekene (Imo, South-East).
Also on the board list are Mr. Onyekachi Dimgba (Rivers, South-South); Alhaji Mohammed Kabiru Abubakar (Zonal Representative, Nasarawa); Professor Tallen Mamma, SAN (North-East Representative, Adamawa); Sodique Sani (North-West, Zonal Representative); General Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (Rtd) (Executive Director of Finance) and Charles Ogunmola (Executive Director Project, South-West).
But CNDS has, however, expressed concern over the likely blocking of Onochie’s clearance by the Deputy Senate President, citing some alleged past antecedents.
In a statement by its spokesperson Pere Jackson Zuokmo, CNDS said its caution became necessary because of Omo-Agege’s preference for what it called the outdated list containing the name of his preferred candidate, Bernard Okumagba, for the position of the Managing Director of the regional interventionist agency.
The group alleged that the “outmoded list” was prepared and sent to the National Assembly for clearance without President Buhari’s assent.
It also alleged that “the inability of the list to sail through” might have angered Omo-Agege.
CNDS urged the Deputy Senate President to allow due process in clearing Mrs. Onochie for the NDDC job.
The group urged Niger Delta residents “to pray against any iota of confrontation to the smooth sail of NDDC’s governing board’s list coming after over 13 months in abeyance.”
