Where is Lauretta Onochie-led NDDC board headed?
GbaramatuVoice Editorial Board
After four years of existing without a legally constituted board, the Federal Government, about three months ago inaugurated the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The new board has former media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie as Chairman and Samuel Ogbukwu as Managing Director.
GbaramatuVoice also recalls that while inaugurating the Board in Abuja, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Umana, urged the board members to immediately hit the ground running by implementing recommendations of the Report of the Forensic Audit of the Commission carried out in 2019. Umana also charged the Board to look into allegations of irregular employment from 2019 and follow up on the ongoing personnel audit in the Commission.
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Umana, who encouraged members to focus on the completion of ongoing projects, advised them to shun the lure of the “award of spurious and indiscriminate new contracts”, so as to help in repairing the negative public perception about the NDDC.
Surprisingly, three months after this advice was given, GbaramatuVoice, just like the generality of Niger Delta Deltans has neither hit the ground running by implementing recommendations of the Report of the Forensic Audit of the Commission carried out in 2019 nor commence the repair of the negative public perception about the NDDC.
All the Newspaper has observed that the new board did within this time frame was courtesy visits to various traditional rulers within the Niger Delta, assuring the royal fathers of the new board’s commitment to youth development and would do everything possible to equip youths in the region with necessary skills to compete with their peers from other climes.
GbaramatuVoice has equally observed with dissatisfaction how the chainman promised to develop template for the speedy development of the socioeconomic development of the region but serially failed to demonstrate actions that complement these declarations.
Indeed, the newspaper believes that whereas promises are important, taking steps that are both practical and pragmatic shall be best appreciated by Niger Deltans in these material times.
In the same margin, to assist the NDDC board succeed, GbaramatuVoice is compelled to pose the following questions: When is the board going to commence the implementation of recommendations of the Report of the Forensic Audit of the Commission carried out in 2019? When will the Madam Onochie led board unveil the template for the speedy development of the socioeconomic affairs of the region? Or commence the repair of the negative public perception about the NDDC?
Again, now that the board Chairman is found everywhere speaking on the day to day administration of NDDC, it will necessitate the question as to who is in charge of the daily management of the NDDC, board Chairman or the Managing Director?
While the people anticipate answers to these questions, the newspaper again calls on the new board to bring all their expertise to bare to transform the lives and environment of the region.
Again, it will also be gratifying if the board commences without further delay implementation of recommendations of the Report of the Forensic Audit of the Commission carried out in 2019
GbaramatuVoice urges the board to follow due diligence in all its activities so as to restore the hope and resilience of the Niger Delta people in the Commission.
Finally, the newspaper advises the people of Niger Delta region to give the board the necessary support needed to deliver on their mandate.
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