By Louis Achi
Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie, sacked last week by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has reportedly fled to the UK and became stranded but evicted some of her family members there to repossess her London property.
Last Tuesday, President Tinubu approved the appointment of a new board and management of the NDDC after sacking the one led by Onochie.
According to a report by Sahara Reporters, Onochie’s decision to flee Nigeria a few hours after her ouster may be connected to the financial scandals that rocked the NDDC during her tenure as chairperson.
On getting to the UK, she moved to her cousin’s apartment, reportedly owned by her but rented to him in Barking Town in East London, England, but she was locked out.
A trending video sighted by The New Diplomat on Sunday showed where Lauretta Onochie and her cousin, Victor Ashiedu Fejokwu, and his wife, Ruth Emereze were seen exchanging words over the monthly payment of her (Onochie’s) property they occupied in the UK, the embattled ex-NDDC boss Onochie said they have been eventually evicted from the house.
She revealed that when her cousin was having accommodation issues in London, she stepped in to offer her property for a monthly fee, but since September last year, Victor had not made any payment.
In the viral video, Onochie was heard in the background, saying Victor has not paid rent since September last year but in a swift response her cousin said, “Did you know the reasons why he has not paid” with Onochie responding how will she know.
Onochie took to her X handle to tweet, “But will I be nice to people again?”
Her words: “Absolutely! It’s my nature to help. I will continue to be me. We reap what we sow.
“Ashiedu and his wife will reap what they did to me. Bountifully.
“What a battle, I recovered my home!!!
“My Cousin, Victor Ashiedu Fejokwu and his wife, Ruth Emereze were stranded, in fact homeless at the time. I took pity on them, took them in, to house them in my home.
“A year ago, when I started making plans to return to continue housing them, they blocked my phone number. I had no access to my letters. Consequently, I missed quite a number of appointments.
“Having the key to the property, I turned up at the door, twice. They installed bolts and bolted the door from the inside and refused to let me in.
“They stopped contributing to the rent when they both have jobs, preferring to host lavish parties.
“At some point before they stopped completely, my sister, Queenesther Nwaise helped to settle many months of rent. My immediate family too, helped.
“I tried again for the last time. When I knocked, his wife sneaked from the garden into the house, to bolt the front door against me.
“Miraculously. Miraculously. She forgot to lock the garden door through where she sneaked into the house. I got access to the house through that door. She called in an IPOB thug and a young lady.
“They became nasty. Of course, I called the police who dealt them a heavy blow, telling them they must vacate for me unless I was willing to continue to house them. The cowardly thug ran away before the arrival of the Police. The other young lady, went to my bed and spread herself out. Of course, I got her out.
“Then they started pleading to stay. No way! Two days later, they shamefully moved out.”
Despite criticisms that trailed her nomination in December 2022, the Senate confirmed Onochie as the substantive Chairman of NDDC.
Prior to her appointment, she was Buhari’s Special Assistant on New Media.
As the NDDC board chairperson, Onochie was accused of making multiple attempts to be the commission’s accounting officer, in disregard for the law.
According to Part IV (b) of the NDDC Act 2000, the Managing Director is the chief executive and accounting officer of the commission and is vested with the responsibility for the day-to-day administration of the agency.
The law gives the board a supervisory role over NDDC management.
