By Charles Adingupu
The Niger Delta region was thrown into frenzy as the federal government announced the sack of the embattled Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lauretta Onochie.
This development was consequent upon President Bola Tinubu’s decision to dissolve the governing boards of all federal government parastatals, institutions, government organizations and agencies.
Under this arrangement, Mrs Onochie, the Managing Director of NDDC, Mr. Samuel Ogbokwu have automatically been fired from the services of the Commission.
The Director of Information to the office of the Secretary to Government of Federation (SGF), Mr. Willier Bassey who confirmed the story, said that until new boards are constituted, the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the parastatals, government owned firms, agencies including the NDDC are relieved of their appointments.
Against this backdrop, he ordered that all matters that need attention of the dissolved boards should be directed to the President through the Permanent Secretaries of their respective supervisory ministries.
Other members of the NDDC board affected by the President’s decision include Dimgba Erugba, Emem Willcox Wills, Danyanboja Dimaro, Orok Duke, Pius Odudu, Anthony Ekenne, Gbenga Edema, Mohammed Kabir Abubakar, Elekwachi Dimkpa, Charles Ogunmola, Alhaji Sadiq Sani Sule, Charles Airheavbere and Tahire Mamman.
It would be recalled that the Senate last year December confirmed the appointment of the Special Assistant, New Media to the immediate former President, Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs Onochie as the substantive Chairman of the NDDC amid wild protest by the people of the Niger Delta region.
For several months Mrs Onochie ‘s appointment as head of the NDDC Chair, hung on the balance with stakeholders of the Oil bearing communities mounting pressure on the federal government to reverse the appointment.
But undaunted Mrs. Onochie who was in the middle of all the storm generated by her appointment as NDDC Chairman, counter the argument maintained in most quarters that the exalted office is preserved for indigenes of Oil bearing communities.
Mrs. Onochie insisted that the Commission was raised to cater for the needs and attend to the aspirations of the Oil producing states and not oil bearing communities and villages.
It was reported that some indigenous people of Illaje local government area of Ondo State dragged the federal government to the Federal High Court, Abuja in an apparent bid to halt the President from inaugurating the board at the twilight of his administration.
But the Senate was obstinate in its resolve as on Tuesday 12th December, 2022 as approved the appointment of Mrs. Onochie as Chairman and 12 others as members of the NDDC board.
Despite reported court cases challenging the appointment of Mrs. Onochie, the NDDC board was inaugurated on 4th January, 2023.
