*Commission Reacts, Says It’s Yet To Officially Release Autopsy Report
By Hamilton Nwosa(Head, The New Diplomat’s Business and data tracking desk)
Reports emanating from the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC) indicate that Mr Ibanga Bassey Etang, the late Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the NDDC whose death was announced suddenly on Thursday morning might not have died as result of COVID-19 as previously rumoured.
Insiders at the NDDC who are familiar with on-going developments allege that the results of deceased’s test for the dreaded pandemic did not indicate he had symptoms of the pandemic.
Recall that the NDDC’s Interim management Committee (IMC) had acting on the instructions of its supervising ministry, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs closed down its operational headquarters for two weeks purportedly premised on COVID-19 scare. The apprehension was said to have arose immediately after the death of the NDDC’s finance chief, Bassey Etang.
Recall also that the deceased’s death was coming amid an imminent commencement of a National Assembly probe into an alleged N40 billion corruption accusations leveled against the NDDC’s IMC and minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio.
But the NDDC in a press statement issued on Friday said an autopsy report on the death of its acting executive director of Finance and Administration, Bassey Etang was still being expected, stating that when it is ready ” it would be released with the consent of the family.”
The statement which was issued by Charles Obi Odili of the NDDC ‘s corporate Affairs directorate said: ” The Commission also wishes to state that the rumours over the internal memo for staff of the Commission to stay away, so that sanitary and hygienic cleaning of the Commission can take place, is most unfortunate. The idea behind it is purely precautionary.”
It would be recalled that the NDDC had in an internal memo dated 28th May 2020 with reference no: NDDC/HO/HAHR/3 signed by one Silas Anyawu on behalf of the management of the NDDC and obtained by The New Diplomat, directed all Directors, Head of Departments/ Units and indeed, all staff to vacate the complex with immediate effect.
The staff were also ordered to go into self-isolation for two weeks while the premises would be decontaminated. The memo which copied the Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Keme Daniel Pondei, and Cairo Ojougboh, Acting Executive Director, Projects was quite explicit on the fact that staff of the commission were being directed to undergo two-weeks self isolation protocols that are consistent with COVID-19 procedural rules.
Though no official reason was stated for the shutdown as at that there seems to be some alleged connection with the COVID-19 pandemic as the NDDC called for fumigation of its premises and offices in line with COVID-19 scare protocols and dynamics.
The statement had read in part: “I am directed to inform all staff that management has approved that the Commission be shut down for two weeks from today 28th May, 2020. Consequently, all activities in the Commission including ongoing matters are hereby shut down for the time being
“Members of staff are to ensure that all electrical appliances in their offices are switched off before leaving the premises.
“The Head Security is by this memo directed to work out modalities to ensure the safety and security of the Commission while Director, Administration is requested to fumigate and decontaminate the entire offices in the Headquarters during the period.
“Meanwhile staff are enjoined to go into self-isolation for two weeks as they await further directive from management”.
Recall that Mr Ibanga Bassey Enang who was appointed alongside two others on the 18th of December 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari into the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC died in the early hours of Thursday.
The IMC has been in the news lately over allegations of financial impropriety to the tune of N40 billion allegedly expended without procedural authorization and due process.
It would be recalled that the road to the National Assembly’s investigations into teh affairs of the NDDC began following a motion on the floor of the Senate by Senator Thompson George Sekibo (PDP Rivers East) titled: “Urgent Need to Investigate Alleged Financial Recklessness in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)”. In that motion, the lawyer had alleged that the IMC was embroiled in massive corruption
Consequently, the Senate set up an Ad-hoc committee headed by Senator Olubunmi Adetunbi (APC Ekiti North), to look into the financial transactions so far carried out by IMC on behalf of the commission within the last three months and report back to the Senate within four weeks.
