The supremacy battle for the soul of the Niger Delta Development Commission has worsened with both chambers of the National Assembly now united to challenge the activities of the Interim Management Committee allegedly handpicked by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that some powerful stakeholders who are currently playing major roles in the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government and Akpabio, are involved in high level politicking on the NDDC affairs.
The Senate had taken a firm decision to reject the continued control of the agency by the IMC by hurriedly approving the nominees for the Niger Delta board forwarded to the Senate last year and vowed not to interact with Akpabio’s caretaker team.
Our correspondent learnt that the Senate concluded the process of screening and confirmation despite the fact that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) allegedly reached out to the Senate leadership to halt the process.
However, the Senate appeared to have lost out in the power game when Buhari refused to inaugurate the board members, who were screened and confirmed by the members of the Senate.
The action of the Presidency, through a statement by its spokesperson, Femi Adesina, announcing plans to recompose a fresh list for the NDDC board, was said to have further angered the senators.
While members of the Senate panel on the Niger Delta Affairs ignored the IMC and the combined 2019/2020 budgets of the agency presented to it by General Buhari, their counterparts in the House of Representatives were romancing the caretaker committee members.
However, the honeymoon between the reps panel and the IMC seems to be over as the leadership of both chambers had allegedly taken a firm position on the crisis rocking the NDDC.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the National Assembly leadership had realised that its panels rather than the Akpabio’s IMC, should coordinate a forensic investigation into the finances of the agency since its establishment.
Source:Punch
