It would be recalled that the Niger-Delta Development Commission (Establishment etc) Act2000 Act No 6 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria came as an Act to provide for the repeal of the Oil, Mineral Producing Areas Commission Decree 1998. Among other things, it was meant to establish a new Commission with a re-organised management and administrative structure for more effectiveness.
Furthermore, it was meant for the use of the sums received from the allocation of the Federation Account for tackling ecological problems which arise from the exploration of oil minerals in the Niger-Delta area and for connected purposes. That came into effect on12th day of July 2000.
Unfortunately, the noble aims and objectives of its coming into effect under the then President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had over the years got de-branded with the issues of corruption, incompetence and gross mismanagement of its resources. Terribly bad, you might say!
But it even got worse when it had no Board to effectively run its affairs for six odd years! By law it was supposed to be under the presidency. The change in the narrative however, came when former governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Godswill Akpabio became the Minister of the Niger-Delta. It was he who appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to place the NDDC under the Ministry of the Niger-Delta.
Ever since, it has been mired in one steamy scandal, controversy or the other. That was what necessitated the setting up of a forensic audit by the president to take a deeper look into the conduct of its financial transactions.
Interestingly, that opened up the can of worms with the alleged discovery of monumental corruption as 320 illegal accounts-both local and international- were traced to the Ministry by the forensic audit. That was in 2021 when the Report was submitted to Mister President.
Ordinarily, oil companies operating in Nigeria are supposed to pay 3% of their running costs to the NDDC but going by the allegations of corruption Buhari ordered that such sums should be collected by the EFCC. Other reports revealed that within that period it collected a whopping N710 billion on behalf of NDDC!
Buhari was compelled, in his characteristic manner of transparency and probity to come up with the appointment of someone of proven integrity; someone with a proud pedigree of discipline; who attaches little value to material things. There comes in Ms Lauretta Onochie on whose behalf the president wrote to the Senate for confirmation back in November 2022.
Having worked with Mister President for seven good years, which provided him with the opportunity to study her true persona he knew that she was going to toe the path of honour and honesty. And that she did when during the first meeting of the NDDC Board it was mutually agreed that financial transactions must be approved by her person, as the Chairman for accountability and transparency.
In addition, such financial transactions were to be communicated to the CBN, the Accountant General’s Office and of course, the Minister of Finance. But the MD of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku was vehemently against that significant decision.
Furthermore, he wrote a letter to counter the decision insisting that the status quo should remain. That audacious attempt to shake the NDDC table triggered some burning questions. Is it true, as alleged that the humongous sum of N50 million is always paid for trips made by the trio of the Managing Director of the NDDC, the Director of Finance as well as Projects for assignments carried out outside Port Harcourt? Is it also true that the monthly running cost has been increased from N6bn to N10bn? Yet, that was not all to it.
Why would contractors be paid huge sums from the public purse without the knowledge of the NDDC Board but with payments approved by the head of the former interim management? Why were the Board Members from Abia and Bayelsa states the ones to benefit from payments? And why are the NDDC Board members not given official vehicles? There was certainly more to it all than met the eye!
In fact, the last straw that broke the camel’s back in the cat-and-mouse game between the Minister of the Niger Delta and the Onochie-led Board of the NDDC came to the fore when the former went ahead to host the PPP Summit recently held at Eko Hotel in Lagos state without the approval of the latter!
Worse still, it went on to sign an MOU with an American company, Atlanta Global Resources Inc., which according to Onochie has no requisite experience in any form of construction, not to talk about railway construction! Onochie stated that the company in question is a management export consulting firm without known directors!
Describing the MOU as illegal she quoted that: “(a) By the act establishing the NDDC (Act No 6, of 2000), it is the Chairman of the board that is solely vested with the power to sign MOUs with any organisation. She added Part II of the NDDC Act, Section 8, sub sections (a) and (e), among other provisions,.
The Chairman of the PPP Board Gbenga Edema who hails from Ondo state is also a Commissioner with the board. Though he was supposed to report to the Board, he was allegedly ignored by the management.
Subsequently, all these shenanigans have dovetailed into the call by her traducers for Onochie’s removal from office. And that is all because she is firmly standing on her ground, insisting that she does not want the smelly Augean stable to remain in its mess!
Indeed, she reminds one of the late DG of NAFDAC, Prof. Dora Akunyili who epitomized diligence to duty, discipline and strict adherence to the dictates of the law. Characteristic of her resolute stand, she wants things done within the ambit of the law, no matter whose ox is gored!
