NDDC leadership: Akpabio lied - Niger Delta Stakeholders

The minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio has been accused of "telling serial lies in his grand design to appropriate and control the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)." This is the position of the Niger Delta Stakeholders, led by Chief Demiebi Jackson.

A statement credited to the minister, portions of which were reported in The Nation Newspaper of Tuesday, December 10, 2019 and Niger Delta Today, an online newspaper, where he said it was Bayelsa State's turn to produce the MD of NDDC has been criticised by the Niger Delta Stakeholders who say "the minister is sowing seeds of discord to advance his agenda following opposition to the illegal interim management committee he set up for the commission."

Akpabio stated in the newspaper reports as follows: “We have not had two full years of Managing Director for Bayelsa. We have had Engr. Godwin Omene staying as MD of NDDC for almost four full years. We have had Hon Emmanuel Aguariavwodo from Delta serving as MD for almost three years. So, it is not the turn of Delta.”

But fact-check shows that Akpabio lied. Public records from the NDDC show that after Delta State produced the MD for a total of five years, Bayelsa State held the MD position thereafter. From the records, Engr Godwin Omene was MD at inception from 2001 to 2003 when he resigned. Then, Timi Alaibe from Bayelsa State who was the ED Finance and Admin, stepped in as Acting MD until Emmanuel Aguariavwodo was appointed to complete Delta State's term. Aguariavwodo was MD from 2003-2006. Timi Alaibe again stepped in as Acting MD. Alaibe was subsequently confirmed as MD in 2006 and held the position until 2009, representing Bayelsa State. Thereafter, Rivers State produced the MD with Chibuzor Ugoha from 2009 to 2011 and Chris Oboh from 2011 to 2013. Akwa Ibom was next with Dan Abia from 2013 to 2015 and Nsima Ekere from 2016 to 2018. It is now the turn of Delta State, following the rotational policy for the MD position among the four major oil producing states. According to Chief Demiebi "Where then is the truth in Akpabio's claim that Bayelsa State has not had 'two full years as MD"?

"Not only is the minister's claim that Bayelsa State has not held the position for long untrue, the claim that Omene spent four years is also untrue, because Omene spent just two years, from 2001 to 2003. Agwariavwodo spent three years, from 2003 to 2006, bringing the total for Delta State to about five years.

The group also took up the statement credited to the minister that Delta state should take the chairmanship position rather than the MD position, saying that "since Delta State is entitled to both, it should be given both or be allowed to take the one of its choice. It is the prerogative of Delta State to decide. The minister should not try to make an issue out of this as a means to executing his personal agenda. Otherwise, how is it an issue that a state which is due to have both positions of Chairman and MD is being vilified for opting for the MD position. Indeed, Akpabio's statement on the choice made by Delta State when he said that Delta State opted for the 'bigger position' contradicts his own statement that Delta State should not produce the MD based on tenure. It has exposed the lies in his many excuses since the new NDDC board was duly confirmed by the Senate and confirms his inordinate interest in the NDDC, contrary to the claims he made in the newspapers."

The MD position has been rotated round all the four major oil producing states and it is now Delta State's turn to produce the MD. Nothing should be done to shortchange Delta State".

Soon they will all start praising him - Tinubu, el rufai, etc. Someone may even call him 'best leader Nigeria ever had but in the wrong party'. I love the only party in Nigeria, APDPC!!!

Hahaha...the inimitable Obj

Don’t let Akpabio destroy your legacies, Group tells President Buhari
November 18, 2019 Editor



The Niger Delta Development Watch-Dog (NDDW), a development monitoring initiative concerned about the infrastructural development of the Niger Delta States, have called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow God’swill Akpabio to destroy his legacies with his illegalities and personal interest in the NDDC.

The group in a statement signed by its Director General, Engr. Vincent Hitler Egbogbo appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the NDDC substantive board and curb the excesses of the Minister occasioned by his overbearing conducts since assumption of office as Niger Delta Minister.

The group said, Godswill Akpabio is out to destroy the reputation of the President by his grandstanding and aggressive posture towards the recently confirmed 16 member NDDC board appointed by President Buhari due to their uncomprimising stance.

Egbogbo further stressed, that a wrong precedence is being set if this embarrassing situation is not curtailed urgently by the President.

The group averred that it has credible information that the Akpabio’s illegally constituted committee are selling a dummy to the general public of being an anti-corruption team, who caught a consultant that receives 1billion naira monthly from the NDDC, as a ploy to warm themselves to the heart of Mr. President so as to remain in office indefinitely whereas, they are actually desperate to grab whatever they could lay hands on hence their fight to effect signatories in the commission’s account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The group stated, that no where in the world, an employee of a President overrides the decisions of the President by announcing new set of appointees to counter the appointment already made by the President which is what Mr. God’swill Akpabio has done.

The group urge President Buhari to take immediate steps to remedy the Akpabio mis-steps and order the dissolution of the illegal Interim Management Committee which they described as an abberation to the extant laws establishing the NDDC.

The group appealed to the people of the Niger Delta region to remain calm, law abiding and support the APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari to implement policies that will take Niger Delta to the next level.

- newsdiaryonline.com

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Jubilation As INEC Declares APC Winner of Bayelsa Guber Poll
November 18, 2019 promptnewsonline 0 Comments APC, Bayelsa governorship, David Lyon


It was jubilation galore in Yenagoa as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the governorship election in Bayelsa.

The state has been under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, since the country returned to democracy in 1999.

Prof. Faraday Orumwense, Vice Chancellor, University of Benin and INEC’s Returning Officer, who anounced the result, said APC polled 352,552 votes to win in the election.

He said APC’s closest rival, Duoye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 143, 172 votes.

The returning officer said that the total vote cast in the election was 505,884 votes, total valid votes 499,551, while the total rejected votes stood at 6,333.

Orumwnese said APC won the election in six Local Government Areas, while PDP won in two.

He declared Lyon winner and duly elected governor having polled the highest number of votes in the contest.

From the results declared by INEC in Southern Ijaw local government area, APC polled 124,803 votes, while PDP scored 898 votes.

In Ekeremor Local Government Area, APC polled 21, 489 votes and PDP scored 18, 344 votes.

In Sagbama, PDP polled 60,339 votes and APC got 7,831 votes.

In Brass, APC scored 23, 831 votes, while PDP polled 10,410 votes.

The results showed that APC polled 83,041 votes in Nembe anf PDP polled 874 votes.

In Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, APC got 8,934 votes, while PDP polled 15,360 votes.

According to the results declared by INEC, APC polled 24,608 votes while PDP polled 19,184 votes in Yenagoa Local Government Area,

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the total number of registered voters in the state is 922, 562 while the total number of collated voter cards is 889,308.

Akpabio's nominees are in new Senate-confirmed NDDC board, but he wants more

By Sola Aburoh

Nigerians are still aghast at the attempt of Senator Godswill Akpabio to use his handpicked 3-man interim management committee to stall the inauguration of the Senate-confirmed Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board. President Muhammadu Buhari sent a list of 16 nominees representing the 9 oil producing states and 3 non- oil producing geopolitical regions to the Senate for screening and confirmation in line with the NDDC Act. The board was eventually confirmed by the Senate on November 7, with a directive by Senate President Ahmed Lawan that it resume immediately.

But in blatant disregard for the new board, which was confirmed in line with the Act setting up the Commission, Senator Akpabio has refused to dismantle his 3-man illegal interim management committee.

However, new facts indicate that the minister’s action was borne out of a failure to secure the chairmanship or managing director’s position for his nominees in the new Board.


Contrary to claims that the new Board confirmed by the Senate is the handiwork of the APC national chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Deputy Senate President Senator Ovie Omo Agege and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva, Presidency sources say it was arrived at after extensive consultations with stakeholders in the Niger Delta and in accordance with the Act setting up the Commission, which prescribes the manner in which the board and management is to be constituted.

All the key political actors from the APC were involved in constituting the list of nominees and Akpabio nominated the two persons on the senate confirmed board from his state, namely the Executive Director Projects, Engr Otobong Ndem; and the State Representative, Mr Victor Antai into the 16-man Board.

The Nation newspaper had earlier reported on Saturday November 16 that the President personally asked Senator Omo Agege to make nominations into the board with the proviso that they must be credible and committed to the development of the region. According to the newspaper, rather than nominate the board single-handedly, Senator Omo Agege reached out to stakeholders across the constituent states, including Akpabio from Akwa Ibom State, Timipre Sylva from Bayelsa State and Comrade Oshiomhole. It was at the meeting of the four top members of the ruling party that the nominations were agreed.

At the meeting it was agreed that the rotational principle enshrined in the Act should be followed and in line with this, Delta State was due to produce both the Chairman and the Managing Director. At this point, it was agreed that even if both positions were due to Delta State, it would be against the spirit of good corporate governance to have both the head of the Board and the Managing Director from the same state. It was agreed by all that Delta should produce the MD while Edo State takes the Chairmanship position.

Presidency sources say the list of the 16 board members was properly reviewed by the presidency and it was satisfied that credible persons had been nominated to reposition the NDDC. Thereafter, the President forwarded his letter containing the list of 16 nominees to the Senate for confirmation.


However, days before the Senate president Dr Ahmad Lawan read the President's letter on the nominees to commence screening, Akpabio had sought to tinker with the list. "Suddenly, he said since he's the minister he should have half of the board members appointed by him. He said he also wanted the Chairman or MD position, even if this conflicted with the law setting up the Commission. How can Akwa Ibom State which produced the last substantive MD in July 2016 in the person of Nsima Ekere now want to produce the MD again? How can the minister who himself as Akwa Ibom State Governor nominated Bassey Dan-Abia as Chairman in August 2008 and as substantive MD in December 2013 want to nominate another MD or Chairman? His greed surprised us, for a man who brought no electoral value to the party."

Reminded that the NDDC is a multi state agency, the minister was obstinate and said he needed his men running the place because, "it is answerable to my ministry." Presidency sources say the stakeholders were miffed at his reaction and reminded him that the NDDC was under the presidency and was only just moved to the Niger Delta ministry for administrative convenience, not as an appendage of the minister’s fiefdom.

Knowing that he may not be able to negatively manipulate the new 15-man NDDC Board confirmed by the Senate in line with the Act, Akpabio opted to disrupt it by setting up his handpicked illegal 3-man interim management committee.

Nigerians are shocked at Akpabio's continued disregard for the NDDC Act and want the president to intervene for the new Senate-confirmed board to assume duties, especially considering the heightened agitation by Niger Delta stakeholders who are opposed to the minister's antics in the management of the NDDC.

Niger Delta Group Back Reps on Akpabio, NDDC


The Niger Delta Peoples Confederation (NDPC) has backed the resolution of the House of Representatives, which asked the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio to immediately sack the interim management committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) appointed by him.

In a press release signed by Iyamu Osaro Culture,
Co-ordinator General; and Ovie Kenneth,
Secretary General; the group said it backed the resolution of the House of Representatives because the minister's action was unlawful and illegal.

The press statement reads: "having carefully monitored the activities that took place yesterday, 13th day of November 2019 on the floor of the House of Representatives plenary whose focus was on the state of NDDC, we wish to unequivocally state that we are in support of the position of the House of Representatives urging the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to immediately dissolve his illegal 3 man interim committee otherwise the House and Senate will not hesitate to discontinue with the 2020 Appropriation and budget process of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs." It commended the resolution to "initiate a motion to sack the Akpabio 3-man committee." The House resolved to give its Committee on NDDC Matters 7 days to investigate the action of the Minister in appointing the 3-man after the senate had read out the board nominees for screening.

According to the NDPC, "the appointment of the 3-man committee solely constituted by Godswill Akpabio was an aberration in the light of the confirmation of the NDDC Board Members by the Senate."

It further urged "President Buhari to use his power to direct the new NDDC Board Members to immediately take charge of NDDC in view to commencing rapid infrastructural and human development in our Region."

Re: NDCC: Let’s Get To the Bottom of It
By Preye Ebibomo

Etim Etim’s article praising Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta, as a man who is championing the probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is not only a partisan representation of facts but a jaundiced attempt at legitimizing the illegal management committee set up by the Minister.. In the said article, the writer celebrated Akpabio’s actions as that of a transformational leader determined to clean up the Commission. Nothing can be further from the truth, when considered that the whole article fails the integrity test because it is a tissue of lies held together by half-truths and presumptions.
It is not difficult to see the hands behind the letters bearing Etim’s imprint, especially when the writer deodorizes the minister in copious and effusive praises. What bothers me is the lies that he spews. Etim gave the impression in the article that Akpabio it was who discovered the need for the audit; indeed, ordered it, in a brazen attempt to burnish the minister’s sagging credibility, especially following the demands of Nigerians that he follow due process and dismantle his handpicked Interim Management Committee. Contrary to what Etim claims, Akpabio is not hated for whatever reason. Indeed, there is no need trying to make it appear like he is hated because he is stepping on toes. The truth is Akpabio is being opposed because he is trying to turn the NDDC into his fiefdom, ignoring the law setting up the commission and carrying on like NDDC belongs to him. To propagandise this public outcry to the minister’s actions as an opposition to the forensic audit ordered by the president is truly sad and cheap.
First, how could anyone conversant with the developments in the Niger Delta Ministry and the NDDC in the last several weeks attribute the forensic probe ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari to Akpabio? Furthermore, how can the pieces of revelatory news that have made the rounds on fraudulent contractors be the output of Akpabio or his NDDC Interim Management Committee as the writer has stated brazenly? How could the minister be credited with the probe when it is clear that it was the President after entertaining the Niger Delta governors that gave the order for a forensic audit? Of course it is a good thing that the rot in the commission is being unveiled but no one made this more possible than President Buhari’s strong words expressing his determination to transparency in the Commission. It is cheap that Etim seeks to dress Akpabio in borrowed robes. Indeed, this is uncommon sycophancy. People of the region and activists have for years been calling for a thorough audit of the Commission which the President has just acceded to. Yet, like an opportunist, the audit has become Akpabio’s excuse to ignore the law and confuse the process.
Again, the writer claimed that Akpabio, like some Genie, was the one who made it possible for the commission to ‘discover’ that a consultant was being paid N1 billion monthly. It is a shame that pecuniary sycophancy has taken over our communication space and blinds us to the reality even in the full glare of facts! Etim may need some education here. The Commission, since the last management was sacked and a new board was announced in August, has been unveiling sharp practices even before Akpabio had time to settle down as the minister for Niger Delta Affairs. It reminds me of the bombast that Akpabio made all over the place when he boasted that he would deliver Akwa Ibom to APC and failed woefully. If such lies and half-truths are the stuff that made the legend of Akpabio in Akwa Ibom State, the Niger Delta and indeed the Nigerian state is a much bigger space to play such games.
Has Etim asked himself why a Commission that had an acting Managing Director, who was directed to act pending the Senate clearance of the Board nominees, will be replaced with another interim acting Managing Director just when the nominees for the Board were already been screened? Indeed the manner in which the minister has gone about his job provides more clues to his real intent. Anyone who follows the reports of the commission would be conversant with the swirl of reports and allegations detailing Akpabio’s interest in micromanaging the affairs of the commission such that activists in the region have accused him of having undue interest in some contracts in the commission. And his rush, post-haste, to handpick and appoint the 3-man interim committee at a time the Senate was already screening the Board nominated by the president can only be the handiwork of a sinister plot.
True stakeholders in the Niger Delta know that the reason the Commission’s Act demanded broad representation was to forestall parochial decision-making. Today, Akpabio’s committee neither represents a competent technical team that can supervise a clean audit nor does it represent all the stakeholders of the region and beyond that are represented in the Act; it is a committee responsible only to the minister and whose real agenda is known only to him. Akpabio’s misstep must never be condoned or celebrated; it is an act of brigandage, corruption masquerading as exuberance. Let us not forget the character question dogging the minister with his cases before the EFCC and ask how such a man can be the champion of due process and transparency in a new NDDC, the kind the President and stakeholders in the Niger Delta are looking out for? I am amazed that Etim sought to make character an issue in his romantic appraisal of the minister’s illegality.
The NDDC Act is unambiguous on the selection of its Board and Management and this can only be for a clear reason, that the canons of due process and broad representation are accommodated. This is what the President had done by selecting credible people from across the states in accordance with the NDDC Act and transmitting same to the Senate for Confirmation. By bringing in the President’s name into Akpabio’s circumvention of the law, Etim is trying to dress the minister’s illegality in borrowed robes.
As a Niger Deltan who has watched the crass disregard for the law setting up the Commission over the years, I cannot be pleased at the barefaced illegality of Akpabio’s Interim Management contraption set up at a time the Senate was screening nominees for the Board. For the avoidance of doubt, this Board just passed by the Senate has the broadest representation in recent times because Mr President accommodated every sectoral group as provided for in the law. It could not have been an accident as its wide acceptance across the region has shown.
The Niger Delta people are tired of leaders who take us for a ride under dubious schemes and sophistry. Akpabio can still redeem himself by doing the needful in withdrawing his handpicked management because what he has done is a travesty of the law. Coming from a lawyer, it is a disgrace.

Preye Ebibomo, a Businessman, lives in Port Harcourt