…Urges President Buhari to Terminate Extension and Appoint Substantive Board
A Niger Delta advocacy group under the aegis of Niger Delta Integrity and Development Group (NDIDG) has again condemned the extension tenure of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) describing it as a alien to the administration of the commission since its establishment in 2000.
Pressing further on the said illegalities surrounding the appointment and extension of their tenure of the IMC, the group accused the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio for misleading President Muhammadu Buhari into undermining his integrity and giving weight to the persisting anomaly.
In a press statement by Niger Delta Integrity and Development Group, signed by its National Coordinator, Comr Ebiye Johnny and made available to this medium, a call for President Buhari to reverse the extension and appoint a substantive board was emphasized with a view of getting the best results from forensic audit ordered in October 2019.
They further declared Akpabio as unfit to oversee the forensic audit of the commission, alleging that as former governor of an oil rich state for 8 years and subsequent appointments of his lieutenants into the commission over the years, the extension was to buy time in order for him to teleguide its outcome.
The statement issued on today, 2nd May, 2020 is reproduced below.
NDDC: WHY GODSWILL AKPABIO MISLED PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI TO EXTEND IMC STAY FOR EIGHT MONTHS: A PLOY BY GODSWILL AKPABIO TO MANIPULATE THE FORENSIC AUDIT
Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on 30th April, 2020, it was a total disappointment to the people of Niger Delta and Nigerians, when your Special Adviser on Media, Femi Adesina, announced an extension of eight months to the Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei led Interim Management Committee of Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC.
But, we have uncovered what really transpired, how certain persons in government played roles, connived with Godswill Akpabio to mislead you to approve the extension. But, they may have achieved their agenda by misleading you to approve the extension for IMC, but they must be reminded of Proverbs 20:17 ” the bread of deceit (bribe) is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel”.
First, it was the appointment of the illegal Interim Management Committee and now an extension. Mr. President, again, you have been misled into committing ILLEGALITY.
The appointment of an illegal Interim Management Committee and subsequent extension on 30th April, 2020, were obvious and unexplainable ILEGALITY you have been misled to allowed in NDDC, such ILLEGALITY never happened from the time of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to Goodluck Jonathan.
Mr. Integrity, that you are, but, the greed and selfishness of Godswill Akpabio has undermined your ” integrity”, this is very shameful and regrettable.
Mr. President, it is believed that you ordered the Forensic Audit because of the perceived illegality ( stealing, mismanagement and fraud) in NDDC over the years, precisely from 2000 to 2019, but, how come Godswill Akpabio is misleading you into allowing further illegality in NDDC, by the appointment of IMC and subsequent extension?
The worrisome extension of the IMC stay in office for eight months has destroyed the confidence we had in the Forensic Audit you ordered on 17th October, 2019.
Mr. President, may be should you know that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, who never played any role, never contributed and was not known in the struggle of Niger Delta, such a person can only be interested in his personal pockets to the detriment of the region.
WHY THE FORENSIC AUDIT WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME A SCAM
Godswill Akpabio as a PDP Governor of Akwa-Ibom State from 2011 to 2015, during which period the NDDC was controlled by PDP-led Presidency.
About same time, Godswill Akpabio was Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, an illegal forum made so powerful morethan the Nigeria Governors Forum.
From 2011 to 2015, under the PDP-led Presidency, all PDP Governors in the nine states that made up of NDDC, virtually nominated appointees into the Board of NDDC.
The immediate sustantive MD of NDDC, Nsima Ekere, from Akwa-Ibom was a political son of Godswill Akpabio, who later became Akpabio’s annointed APC Governorship Candidate in 2019 Governorship election in Akwa-Ibom State.
MR.PRESISENT, IF GODSWILL AKPABIO WAS ABLE TO MISLEAD YOU TO APPROVE AN ILLEGALITY SUCH AS IMC, SAME AKPABIO WILL ALSO MANIPULATE THE FORENSIC AUDIT TO PROTECT OR COVER UP WHATVER DEALS OR TRASANCTIONS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN COMMITTED BY PERSONS HE NONINATED INTO NDDC BOARD BETWEEN 2011-2015, AND BEYOND, AND ALSO PROTECT HIS PDP FRIENDS WHO ARE CONTRACTORS TO NDDC
From details available to us, the Forensic Audit is death on arrival, the approved nine months to conduct the forensic audit by the Auditors is a total waste of time and resources, because we already know what will be the outcome and the report to the submitted by the Auditors.
The extension for IMC, sought by Godswill Akpabio and approved by Mr. President was the calculated plot by Akpabio to use the IMC to teleguide the Auditors and manipulate the outcome of the Audit.
Mr. President, very clearly, we the people of Niger Delta, have lost confidence in the Forensic Audit, and our fears have been justified by the umerited extension given to the illegal IMC.
Mr. President, you should know that PDP still runs in Akpabio’s blood, hence, Godswill Akpabio made sure PDP won Akwa-Ibom State both at the Presidential and Governorship election in Akwa-Ibom State in 2019.
Akpabio, who was erronously rewarded for delivering Akwa-Ibom State to PDP in 2019, has brought the PDP’s illegality style of politics to APC and NDDC, this is why Akpabio is enjoying the support and collaboration of PDP Governors in Niger Delta, as against the wishes and collective interests of the people of Niger Delta.
In our last press release, we explained that since the IMC has collated and documented every transactions of NDDC from 2000 to 2019 from it’s verification exercise and submited same to the Forensic Auditors, the IMC has finished their job and should immediately dissolved.
And that President Buhari should commence the process of reconstituting the substantive Board of NDDC. The ordered forensic audit, covers 2000 to 2019, while the substantive Board will commence it’s activities from 2020.
Mr. President, should withdraw the extension of IMC and immediately reconstitute the substantive Board of NDDC for all the nine states in the region to be adequately represented as provided by the NDDC Act.
FINALLY, IF THE PRESIDENT TRULLY DESIRE AN UNBIASE FORENSIC AUDIT AND REPORT, THE PRESIDENT SHOULD RECONSTITUE THE SUBSTANTIVE BOARD OF NDDC NOW, AS THAT WILL BE THE ONLY WAY TO STOP GODSWILL AKPABIO FROM MANIPULATING THE FORENSIC AUDIT.
SIGNED:
Comr Ebiye Johnny
National Coordinator
Niger Delta Integrity and Development Group NDIDG
