NDDC BUDGET: Reps disagree with Senate, set to host interim management team

The House of Representatives on Friday said it would go ahead and host the interim management team of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the defence of the commission’s 2019/2020 budget forwarded to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Senate is insisting that only the confirmed board of the interventionist agency can defend the budget and that the interim management team put in place by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs is illegal.

President Buhari is yet to inaugurate the board members that were confirmed by the Senate since November 5.

The House of Representatives however has a different opinion, as the Chairman, House Committee on the NDDC, Olubunmi Tunji – Ojo, told journalists on Friday that the House would not have anything to do with the confirmed board.

According to Tunji – Ojo, the House would as from next week begin interactions with the Interim Management Committee of the commission as the acting Managing Director, Dr. Gbene Nunieh, would lead her team to defend the budgets.

He said: “The board doesn’t defend the budget, it is the management that defends the budget. As far as there is no other directive from the leadership of the House of Representatives, our committee will go ahead with the budget defence with the interim management team as from next week.

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“The budget has been referred to our committee and the management would defend it. Unless the board is inaugurated, we won’t allow them to come and defend the budget. As from next week, the interim management committee of the NDDC will be called upon to defend the budget.”

Tunji-Ojo also faulted claims by the Senate Spokesperson, Godiya Akwashiki, that the red chamber would not interface with the interim management committee because it was illegal and unconstitutional.

Tunji-Ojo said: “Section 171 (1) of the constitution which is the grand norm states that the President has the power to appoint persons to hold or act in the offices to which this section applies.

“Sub-sections 2(b) talks about the offices of which the section applies. This includes Permanent Secretary in any office or head of any extra ministerial department, of which the NDDC is one.

“The NDDC Act is inferior to the constitution. There is no Act in Nigeria that has provision for people to hold offices in acting capacity because the power has already been given to the President under Section 171 (1).

“This has automatically killed the argument that the interim management team is illegal because the President is right, he has the power to appoint people in acting capacity. We are going ahead to take the interim management of the NDDC under the leadership of the acting MD.”

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