By Ovie Okpare
When President Mohammadu Buhari, on impulse, announced his abandonment of the team he had, by himself, submitted to the Senate and duly screened and cleared by same awaiting inauguration as new substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), he gave no justification for the impunity.
Niger Delta Today investigations indicates that Buhari was induced to dissolve the Pius Odubu led board in waiting by forces opposed to the growing overlordship of Deputy Senate President (DSP) Ovie Omo-Agege among Niger Delta leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
When President Mohammadu Buhari sacked the Prof Nelson Brambaifa led board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, the common concern among stakeholders was the need for forensic audit towards sanitising the commission from the rot of mindless corruption that has permitted filtering of over 70% of set funds into private pockets by estimation of Ibrahim Magu, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) boss.
Several weeks after, the much anticipated forensic audit remains a promise unfulfilled, apparently taken back stage. It has turned a singsong only harped by Sen Godswill Akpabio and and his Interim Management Committee, IMC, during media talks, usually intended as justification for the IMC’s indefinite stay and control of the commission till such a time deemed fit by Buhari.
What took centerstage instead was the battle for who controls the soul of NDDC between Akpabio’s nominated IMC and Sen Ovie Omo-Agege/Oshiomhole assembled new board which was already screened by the Senate awaiting takeover before Buhari blew the whistle against team Agege.
The intrigues and revelations defining why Buhari abandoned Pius Odubu/Bernard Okumagba led NDDC board designate and the perpetuation of Akpabio’s IMC has left stakeholders wondering whether all the wrangling and debate about IMC or a substantive board has not been driven by self interest the power brokers against the Niger Deltans desire to have a reformed NDDC for the betterment of all.
A top ranking APC chieftain confided on this reporter that the DSP, Omo-Agege, representing Delta Central and the National Chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and few presidential aides came up with the list. He added Omo-Agege, counting on the blessings of some Buhari’s henchmen in Aso Rock refused to consult other leaders of the APC especially from the Niger Delta region in coming up the list.
Our source who also pleaded anonymity posited that it was because of the flagrant disregard for other leaders of the party from the region that the list was greeted by stiff opposition especially from the likes of Sen Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi and host of others.
Another source claimed that following Omo-Agege’s elevation as Deputy President of the Senate he has insisted that all appointed from the Niger Delta region (South South) comes through him or has his blessing as the leader of the party from the region.
The DSP’s alleged disregard for other leaders of the party in the region forced once estranged Akpabio, Rotimi Amaechi, Chief Festus Keyamo (SAN), Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and others to protest to President Buhari
“APC leaders from the Niger Delta region were not consulted before Omo-Agege and some decision makers in Aso Villa came up with the list. This is why some of the leaders including Akpabio, Amaechi and others protested to President Buhari.
“It was the reason the list was stalled for months after being announced. For Omo-Agege to please Oshiomhole, nominated Odubu as Chairman of the board. However, the list was even abuse of the act establishing the commission.
“That Omo-Agege further sponsored a gathering of his Niger Delta allies to announce him as the new APC Leader in the South South further stoked the fire of opposition against his overbearing lordship. Remember that the likes of Akpabio, Amaechi, Emerhor and others stayed away from that drama they called elections to make Agege South South APC Leader”, our source explained.
Why Akpabio threw spanners in the wheel
Meanwhile, Niger Delta Today learnt that Omo-Agege never acted along entirely at the nomination of the Senate screened board as he was said to have made up the list in consultation with the APC National Chairman, former Bayelsa governor and current Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva. Even Niger Delta Minister Sen Akpabio was consulted initially according to findings.
“Conflict set in when it came to who leads the board, particularly the chairman and managing director. The choice Dr. Pius Odubu and Bernard Okumagba, candidates of Oshiomhole and Omo-Agege chairman and managing director unsettled Akpabio who felt he deserved having his own recommendation for one of the two top spots as the Minister now with Presidential mandate to suspervice NDDC.
Feeling schemed our, Akpabio went for the broke, played a fast one by announcing the appointment of a three man IMC to manage the commission. Asked what would happen to the new board when confirmed by the Senate, Akpabio had said they would have to wait to be sworn in after the interim management committee’s work was done.
Knowing that Omo-Agege would recently press for the immediate inauguration of the Senate screened board to take over from his seeming temporal IMC, but realising how dear Buhari takes the idea of forensic audit to heart, Akpabio also moved quickly to harped on the self determined conviction before the President, that only his IMC can guarantee a credible forensic audit and that a substantive board would compromise the process is allowed to take over.
To further win Buhari’s heart, Akpabio was said to have impressed on his IMC to preempt the said forensic audit by announcing their own audit before the audit in form of announcing to the world how former managers of the commission have round the place aground with several shady deals possible.
He was then said to have found his way into the Presidential Villa and paraded the details before Buhari. While President Buhari nodded in approval of Akpabio’s professed disposition to forensic audit of NDDC, the Acting Managing Director of NDDC , Gboene Nunieh and member of her interim management board, announced the suspension of the Commission’s monthly payment of N1 billion to a consultant whose job with NDDC was merely to collect money from international oil companies (IOCs) on its behalf.
She said: “We have a consulting firm engaged as a collection agent. We have another company that also collects three per cent whenever money is paid by the International Oil Companies.
“We don’t need a middle man to collect three percent for gas. The money should just be paid into NDDC accounts with the CBN.
“That is why I have suspended the contract of a collection agent. We are no longer going to pay anyone N1 billion every month. That is wicked.That money can put mono pumps in rural communities in the Niger Delta. It can buy books and set up primary health centres. The three per cent for a consulting firm is over.”
The acting MD said things were beginning to look up as many contractors have gone back to site since she took charge.
She said: “We have about 57 contractors that have gone back to site. I am encouraging everyone to go back to site so that things will be done properly. Those that actually execute their contracts will be paid. No big contractors. We will get the locals who are plumbers to get the mono-pumps to work.
“We are going to take development to the people and that is why you no longer see the young men hanging around our gates.
“We have asked them to go back to their communities and we will meet them there.”
More battle ahead
With Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi’s interest totally out of the question under the new NDDC arrangement, added to the controversial elections of Omo-Agege as new South South APC Leaders, and with Akpabio currently having the last laugh after scheming out the screened board headed by Omo-Agege ans Odhiomhole’s key men, there more battles ahead over who controls NDDC.
What is also not certain is whether any of the scheming stakeholders is committed to a credible forensic audit of the commission? It is believed that Akpabio’s men have been major players in the commission since inception. As Akwa Ibom governor, Akpabio allegedly nominated a chairman, managing director and several state representatives to the NDDC board between 2007 and 2015. “How did these his men run the place?”, a party chieftain asked.
“Just over this last general elections, it left to be determine how Akpabio can deny not having benefitted from the humongous fund Nsima Ekere threw into his failed bid to be Akwa Ibom Governor. It would be interesting to see a forensic audit would indict other past leaders for mismanagement of NDDC and exonerate Akpabio man, Ekere”, another party chieftain wondered.
It is against this foregoing that Ledum Mitee, former President of the Movement for Survival of Ogoni People concluded that nobody, not even the President can credibly audit the NDDC, given that realisation that the filtering away of the commission’s funds revolves around same people calling for the audit.
