Buhari disbands NDDC board confirmed by Senate before innauguration

President Muhammadu Buhari has officially disbanded the Niger Delta Development Commission Board which the Senate had earlier confirmed awaiting inauguration.

The President had sent the names of 16 member board to the Senate for confirmation and the red chamber on the 5th of November 2019 confirmed the appointments of Dr Pius Odubu and Bernard Okumagba as Chairman and Managing Director respectively of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and 13 others amidst pomp and pageantry for the members.

However, their celebration was cut short Tuesday as Muhammadu Buhari in a letter to the Senate President which was read on the senate chamber disbanded the board.

This new development may have brought to an end the power play and the intrigues that have continued to rock the commission which has crippled its activities for some months now

The President’s letter reads in part: “After the dissolution of the board of NDDC an interim management team was set up to manage the affairs of the commission before a new board was composed and sent for Senate’s confirmation.

“The Senate is invited to note that after the process of composition and the Senate’s confirmation was ongoing I directed that the Forensic audit of the board be carried out which is being overseen by the Interim management team.

“Based on this and in order to allow for the uninterrupted process of the forensic investigation the board appointment confirmed by the Senate has to be put on hold to allow the interim team continue to manage the commission pending the outcome of the forensic audit.”