NDDC Advisory Committees without a substantive board is building on a faulty foundation, IYC tells FG

By Shedrack Onitsha,

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), saying that inaugurating Advisory and Monitoring Committees without a substantive board in place is akin to building a house without foundation.

 

Recall that President Buhari on Tuesday inaugurated the Advisory and Monitoring Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), however, IYC in a statement signed by its President, Barr Eric Omare, berated the Federal Government for its action noting that the inauguration of the Committee violates NDDC Acts.

 

IYC stated further that NDDC is built on the tripod of Governing Board, Advisory and Monitoring Committees, explained that the substantive board which includes the management committee is to initiate and implement policies and programmes for the Commission with the Advisory Committee offering advice to the board on the initiation and execution of the policies and programmes.

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IYC frowning at the action of the federal government said, “Without a substantive Governing Board in place, it amounts to an exercise in futility and a violation of the NDDC Act for the President to appoint a Monitoring Committee and inaugurate Advisory committee.

 

“The federal government’s deliberate refusal to comply with the NDDC Act with respect to the appointment of a substantive board under the guise of an endless and opaque forensic audit is baffling.

 

Adding that, “the Niger Delta region has suffered unaccountable losses because of the absence of a board of the NDDC. We note that billions of Naira has been spent by the illegal contraption called, Interim Management committee without accountability and impact on the people of the region.

 

“Therefore, we wish to state for the umpteenth time and call on President Buhari to inaugurate the substantive board of the NDDC without delay in compliance with the Act and in the interest of the development of the region. We state that having a board is not an obstacle to the forensic audit of the NDDC.”