The Nigerian Senate has approved the appointment of a new Board and Management team of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
President Bola Tinubu, on August 29, 2023, appointed Chiedu Ebie as the Chairman of the Board of the Commission and Samuel Ogbuku as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The president reappointed Ogbuku for a second term and has been in an acting capacity, pending the Senate’s confirmation of his reappointment.
Recall that the President also approved the immediate replacement of the Ondo State Representative nominee on the board, Victor Akinjo, with Hon. Otito Atikase.
Tinubu also approved the immediate replacement of the NDDC’s Cross River State Representative nominee, Asi Oku Okang, with a new Rt. Hon. Orok Otuk Duke.
Below are other board members and management;
Mr. Boma Iyaye – Executive Director (Finance and Admin) – Rivers
Mr. Victor Antai – Executive Director (Projects) – Akwa Ibom
Ifedayo Abegunde – Executive Director (Corporate Services) – Ondo
Sen. Dimaro Denyanbofa – State Representative – Bayelsa
Mr. Abasi Ndikan Nkono – State Representative – Akwa Ibom
Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya – State Representative – Delta
Chief Tony Okocha – State Representative – Rivers
Hon Patrick Aisowieren – State Representative – Edo
Mr. Kyrian Uchegbu – State Representative – Imo
Hon. Otito Atikase – State Representative – Ondo
Chief Dimgba Eruba – State Representative – Abia
Rt. Hon. Orok Otuk Duke – State Representative – Cross River
Hon. Nick Wende – Zonal Representative – North Central
Hon. Namdas Abdulrazak – Zonal Representative – North East
Senate warns President against illegal spending
Meawhile, the Senate, Tuesday, urged President Bola Tinubu to guard against illegal spending and advised him to seek a supplementary budget for its Compressed Natural Gas initiative.
The Senate through its Committee on Gas, led by Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe, asked the executive arm of government to present a 2023 Supplementary Budget to the National Assembly to kick start the Compressed Natural Gas project.
This request came barely 48 hours after President Tinubu announced measures to cushion the pains of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.
The lawmakers insisted that the law was against extra-budgetary spending.
The committee’s chairman who commended Tinubu for the CNG initiative, however, warned that it would be illegal to spend taxpayers’ money or the money without approval by the National Assembly, and other projects in the gas value chain.
The senators also advised against extra-budgetary expenditure through Ways and Means,’ saying the legislature was ready to support and bring succour to the people.
