By Akinwale Kasali
There is palpable tension in the Niger Delta Region over plot by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana to appoint an interim administrator to oversee the affairs of the Niger Delta Commission, NDDC.
Recently, the Management of the NDDC were at loggerheads with Minister over the leadership and who controls the affairs of the NDDC as regards the forensic auditing of the account of the NDDC by the Niger Delta Ministry.
The allege plan of the minister to appoint an interim administrator has therefore put him on the spot, and in confrontation with the people of Nigeria’s oil bearing region.
A Group, Centre for Fairness and Accountability, CEFA, has revealed that the Minister’s plot to appoint an interim administrator for the interventionist agency is being spearhead in conjunction with enemies of the region to undermine the relative peaceful coexistence currently enjoyed in the Niger Delta.
In a statement signed by CEFA Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ebitimi Fubara, it states that, ‘We have it on good authority that there are plans orchestrated by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs alongside with enemies of the region to appoint yet another Interim Administration to oversee the NDDC; a move which will re-awake hostility in the region and destroy the efforts of Mr President at ensuring peace in the Niger Delta region.
“We are aware that the evil plot is to project the appointment of a Director in NDDC as Sole Administrator so that he can be at the beck and call of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Umana Okon Umana. This will not work!
“We are also not oblivious of the constant interference of the Minister with the day to day running of the NDDC. How he imposes on the MD his list of preferred contractors for payment is no longer news.
“This is despite a subsisting order of court restraining the Minister, Mr Okon Umana Okon from this mindless show of administrative recklessness, unfairness and daylight wickedness.”
Fubara stressed that elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark had earlier warned that appointment of another interim administration will be vehemently resisted and make the region ungovernable.
He demanded for a substantive board to be appointed for the NDDC, calling on the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Silva and Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, to quickly wade into the issue.
“We wonder why it seems to be taking eternity to constitute a board for the NDDC considering the fact that it has been without one since the inception of this administration which is against the NDDC Act.
“We strongly call on the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami who is the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege CFR; the Minister of State for Petroleum, H.E. Chief Timipre Silva and other stakeholders to quickly intervene before this issue snowballs into a messy one.
“We therefore urge Mr President to constitute a substantive board to govern the NDDC, because a stitch in time saves nine”, the statement said.
