President Muhammadu Buhari has dissolved the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and appointed an acting Managing Director to oversee the duties of the commission.
He is Professor Nelson Braimbraifa who was Bayelsa State representative in the dissolved board.
With this appointment, Mr. Nsima U. Ekere, who is Akwa Ibom governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, becomes immediate past managing director/chief executive officer of NDDC.
Ekere took over from Barr. Bassey Dan-Abia after the board was dissolved by President Buhari.
Following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) resolution, Buhari has equally vested the supervisory role of the commission on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and approved the dissolution of the extant board.
A statement by presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, said Chris Amadi is appointed as acting Executive Director (Finance and Administration) of NDDC while Samuel Adjogbe, an engineer, becomes acting executive director (projects) and the appointments take immediate effect.
The dissolved board was appointed in July 2016 with Victor Ndoma Egba a former Senate leader as chairman.
Other members of that board were Mene Derek (Executive Director Finance and Administration), Adjogbe Samuel (Executive Director Projects), Frank George (Akwa Ibom State Rep.), Prof. Nelson Brambaifa (Bayelsa State Rep.), Sylvester Nsa (Cross River State Rep.), Ogaga Ofowodo (Delta State Rep.), Uwuilekhue Saturday (Edo State Rep.), Harry Dabibi (Rivers State Rep.) and Bernard Banfa (North Central Rep.)
The rest were Mohammed Yahaya (North East Rep.), Mustapha Dankadi (North West Rep.), Abdul Kazeem Bayero (Ministry Of Environment Rep.) and Dr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, (Federal Ministry Of Finance Rep.).
Mr Ndoma-Egba had taken over from Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, also from Cross River State.
Mr Ewa Henshaw-led Board was sacked by the federal government on July 16, 2015. That board went to court to challenge the action, arguing that by virtue of sections 2, 3 and 5 of the NDDC Act, they were entitled to four-year unbroken tenure from December 16, 2013, to December 15, 2017.
The outcome of that case is unknown at this time.
The NDDC was established in 2000 to facilitate rapid, even and sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful.
