Group accuses Omo-Agege of plans to thwart screening of Buhari’s nominees for NDDC board

A group, the Niger Delta Alliance for Economic Survival (NDAES) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to persuade the leadership of the Nigerian Senate to screen and confirm the nominees of the Board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

President Buhari had in November forwarded to the Senate the name of Mrs Lauretta Onochie, his Special Assistant on Social Media as Chairman as well as 14 others as members of the new Board of the NDDC, in line with the Act establishing the Commission.

In a statement, the president of the Group, Mr. Tubonemi Chibisi alleged that the leadership of the Senate had perfected plans to frustrate the screening and confirmation of the NDDC Board nominees sent to it for legislative duties.

He accused some powerful senators led by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Omo Ovie Agege of mounting pressure on the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan not to refer the NDDC Board nominees to the Committee for screening.

According to Chibisi, “It is very worrisome that the concern we had expressed that some top NDDC contractors and Management had planned to lobby the Senate to share the monthly allocation of the NDDC may become reality if the President, Muhammadu Buhari does not persuade the Senate President to immediately refer the nominees to the appropriate Committee for screening without further delay”.

The statement continues, “It is sad that a fraudulent plan which was hatched by some contractors of the NDDC and its top Management had been found very enticing by the Deputy Senate President to reap from”.

Read also:PDP an unmistakable danger in Delta, will be buried in 2023 —Omo-Agege

He said the powerful Senate members have perfected plans with members of the House of Representatives to pass the NDDC budget so that they can share the money warehoused in the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN for the NDDC.

Chibisi further alleged that the leadership of the Senate was exploiting the omission of a Representative for Delta State in the list forwarded to the Senate by the President to delay the screening unduly, adding that the screening of the nominees could continue while the nomination of the Delta State Representative would be sent later.

“This has never happened in the Senate before where an Executive communication is kept without referral to its appropriate Committee”, he said.

He urged the Senate President to prove to the people of Niger Delta and Nigeria that he is not part of this conspiracy by immediately referring the list of the nominees to the Committee for screening just like the two CBN Deputy Governors nominees that were screened last week.

He called on the President to ensure that this disastrous plan does not see the light of the day.

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