The nominations of members of the fifth Niger Delta Development Commission board by the Presidency on August 27 is brewing crisis in the oil-bearing belt.
A disregard for the provisions of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Act in the recent appointment of members of the new board by the Presidency is raising dust in the turbulent oil belt. On August 27, the office of the Secretary to the government of the federation, SGF, announced a 16-member board that did not conform to the law that ensured peaceful transitions in the board since its establishment in 2000.
Name | Position | State | |
1 | Dr. Pius Odubu | Chairman | Edo |
2 | Bernard O. Okumagba | Managing Director | Delta |
3 | Engr. Otobong Ndem | Executive Director Projects | Akwa Ibom |
4 | Maxwell Okoh | Executive Director Finance & Admin | Bayelsa |
5 | Prophet Jones Erue | Delta Representative | Delta |
6 | Chief Victor Ekahtar | Edo Representative | Edo |
7 | Dr. Joy Yimebe Nunieh | Rivers Representative | Rivers |
8 | Nwogu Nwogu | Abia Representative | Abia |
9 | Theodore A. Allison | Bayelsa Representative | Bayelsa |
10 | Victor Antai | Akwa Ibom Representative | Akwa Ibom |
11 | Maurice Effiwatt | Cross River Representative | Cross River |
12 | Olugbenga Elema | Ondo Representative | Ondo |
13 | Uchegbu Chidiebere Kyrian | Imo Representative | Imo |
14 | Aisha Murtala Muhammed | Northwest Rep Representative | Kano |
15 | Ardo Zubairu | Northeast Rep Representative | Adamawa |
16 | Engr. Badmus Mutalib | Southwest Rep Representative | Lagos |
- Members of thecontroversial new NDDC Board. *Tableby TELL
As exclusively reported by TELL prior tothe announcement politicians were scheming to lobby their preferred candidatesinto the board, especially the four top positions of chairman, Managing director,EDP and EDFA, in disregard to the provisions of the Act establishing theCommission. True to our report the chairman of the board was wrongfully assignedto Edo State, instead of Delta and MD to Delta instead of Ondo.
According to the NDDC Act, all the nine oil-producing states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers are to produce the two topmost positions of chairman and managing director in stipulated order. While the office of the chairman shall rotate among the oil-producing states in alphabetical order, the office of the managing director shall rotate among the nine states according to their oil production volume.
Part 1V of the Actprovides for “a managing director andtwo executive directors who shall be indigenes of oil-producing areas startingwith the member-states of the Commission with the highest production quantum ofoil and shall rotate among member states in order of production.”
The Act came into effect on July 12, 2000, and Abia State, the first in alphabetical order produced the first chairman in Onyema Ugochukwu. Similarly, according to the production volume then, Delta State was the number one and produced the first managing director in Godwin Omene.
Presently, the oilproduction quantum according to the nine states are as follows:
S/N | State | Production Quantum |
1 | Akwa Ibom | 31.4% |
2 | Delta | 21.56% |
3 | Rivers | 21.4% |
4 | Bayelsa | 18.07% |
5 | Ondo | 3. 74% |
6 | Edo State | 2.06% |
7 | Imo | 1.06% |
8 | Abia | 0.68% |
9 | Cross River | — |
* Production quantum by nine NDDC states. *TELL
When Omene was removed in 2002, he was replaced by Emmanuel Aguariavwodo also from the same Delta as MD. Timi Alaibe from Bayelsa State was the executive director, finance and administration while Udoh Mbosoh from Akwa Ibom was the executive director, projects. When Mbosoh was removed in 2002, he was replaced by Ukot Thomas Ukot also from Akwa Ibom State who completed the tenure of the first board
In the second board, Sam Edem from Akwa Ibom was chairman and Timi Alaibe from Bayelsa as MD. Pastor Power Aginighan from Delta State was EDFA, while Beneiah Ojum from Rivers State was the EDP. According to the law, when a person is removed, another from the same state is appointed to complete its tenure on the board.
In the third board,Larry Koinyan of Bayelsa State, a retired Air Vice Marshal, was chairman andChibuzo Ugwuoha of Rivers State was MD. Pastor Power Aginighan from Delta Statewas the EDFA and Esoetok Etteh from Akwa Ibom was EDP.
The third board wasdissolved and new members were appointed from the same states to complete theirtenure as follows: Tariah Tebepah from Bayelsa as chairman; Christian Oboh,Rivers State as MD; Jambert Koboye from Delta, EDFA; and Edikan Eshiet fromAkwa Ibom as EDP.
The fourth boardfollowed the same pattern. Bassey Ewa Henshaw from Cross River waschairman; Bassey Dan Abia from Akwa Ibom MD; Henry Ogiri from Rivers EDFA andOmotule Tuoyo from Delta as EDP.
The fourth board was dissolved in 2015 and new members were appointed from the same states to complete their tenure as follows: Victor Ndoma Egba from Cross River, chairman; Nsima Ekere, Akwa Ibom, MD; Meme Derek, Rivers, EDFA; and Adjogbe Ajenakuwe, Delta, EDP. Their tenure expired and President Muhammadu Buhari dissolved the board in January 2019.
1 | Abia | Onyema Ugochukwu | Chairman | 2000 – 2004 |
2 | Delta | Engr Godwin Omene | MD | 2000 – 2002 |
3 | Delta | Emmanuel Aguariavwodo | MD | 2000 – 2004 |
4 | Bayelsa | Timi Alaibe | EDFA | 2002 – 2004 |
5 | Akwa Ibom | Engr Udoh Mbosoh | EDP | 2000 – 2004 |
6 | Akwa Ibom | Engr. Ukot Thomas Uko | EDP | 3002 -2004 |
*First Board pf NDDC from 2000 – 2004
1 | Akwa Ibom | Sam Edem | Chairman | 2004 – 2008 |
2 | Delta | Emmanuel Aguariavwodo | MD | 2002 – 2005 |
3 | Bayelsa | Timi Alaibe | MD | 2005 – 2008 |
4 | Delta | Pastor Power Aginighan | EDFA | 2005 – 2008 |
5 | Rivers | Engr Beneiah Ojum | EDP | 2004 – 2008 |
*Second NDDC Board from 2005 – 2008.
1 | Bayelsa | Larry Koinyan | Chairman | 2009 – 2011 |
2 | Rivers | Chibuzor Ugwuoha | MD | 2009 – 2011 |
3 | Delta | Pastor Power Aginighan | EDFA | 2009 – 2011 |
4 | Akwa Ibom | Arc Esoetok Etteh | EDP | 2009 – 2011 |
*Third NDDC Board from 2009 – 2011
1 | Bayelsa | Tariah Tebepah | Chairman | 2011 – 2013 |
2 | Rivers | Dr Christian Oboh | MD | 2011 – 2013 |
3 | Delta | Engr Lambert Koboye | EDFA | 2011 – 2013 |
4 | Akwa Ibom | Engr Edikan Eshiet | EDP | 2011 – 2013 |
*Continuation of Fourth Board from2011 – 2013
1 | Cross River | Bassey Ewa Henshaw | Chairman | 2013 – 2015 |
2 | Akwa Ibom | Bassey Dan Abia | MD | 2013 – 2015 |
3 | Rivers | Henry Ogiri | EDFA | 2013 – 2015 |
4 | Delta | Engr OmotsuleTuofo | EDP | 2013 – 2015 |
*Fourth Board from 2013 – 2015
1 | Cross River | Ndoma Egba, SAN | Chairman | 2016 – 2019 |
2 | Akwa Ibom | Nsima Ekere | MD | 2016 – 2019 |
3 | Rivers | Meme Derek | EDFA | 2016 – 2019 |
4 | Delta | Engr Adjogbe Ajenakwe | EDP | 2016 – 2019 |