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NDDC Board members warned against politicising activities
Gloria Essien, Abuja
Members of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) have been warned to deviate from political patronages and the provision of welfare to politicians in Nigeria.
President Goodluck Jonathan gave the warning at the inauguration of Niger Delta Development Commission board at the Presidential villa, Abuja.
Emphasis on development
The president tasked the team to focus on the development of the Niger Delta Region and not follow the footsteps of their predecessors. “I believe you will learn from the mistakes of your immediate predecessors. I always emphasise that people must not play politics with the development of our people. NDDC must stop this political patronage and political warfare activities.”
Jonathan pointed out that the past board was camping criminals in hotels in the name of helping politicians.
“If I hear that, I will be very angry with you. You must focus on the development of the Niger Delta. You are not sent there to solve political problems” he said.
He also frowned at the trend of using the NDDC as a spring board for running for governorship elections and using the youths they are supposed to help as political thugs.
President Jonathan also asked them to avoid infighting which led to the
dissolution of the previous board that had two more years to go in its tenure.
He stressed that the body was set aside to look into that area and see how it could be developed, noting that the government’s experience with the past board was quite disturbing.
In his words, “people were asked to go and see how they will use the little resources available to develop the people but there was so much of infighting.
“There must be an element of greed in the whole thing. When you see people fighting, there must be an interest rather than the interest of the Niger Delta people, the Nigerian people, the interest of the nation and the interest of the world. So we dissolved that board based on the report.”
According to the President he had not intended to totally dissolve the old board, but the reports of the committee set aside to look into the crisis in the NDDC had shown that the members of the board could simply not continue working together, due to the long period of disagreement among them.
he explained that the decision was taken to make sure that the And to make sure that the place was properly managed.
In his response, the Chairman of the 19-man board, Terillah Tebepah, pledged to meet with the establishment requirements of the commission and added that the board would work in line with the transformation agenda of this administration.
Other members of the NDDC board inaugurated by the President are: Mr Edward Orubo (Member), Dr. Christian A. Obo (MD), Dr. Ibitamuno Aminigo (Member), Chief Solomon Ogba (Member) Mr L.E.J. Konboye (ED -Finance & Accounts), Engr. Imaobong Johnson (Member), Engr. Edikan Eshett (ED-Projects) and Barrister Aloysius Nwagboso (Member).
The new board also includes Mr. Omogbemi Oladele (Member), Barrister Peter Ezeobi (Member) Mr. Dominic Aqua Edem (Member), Mr. Osabon Imaru (Member), Mr. Joe Jakpa (Member), Senator Garba Yakubu Lado (Member), Rima Shawulu Kwewum (Member), Senator Tunde Ogbeha (Member), Minister of State Finance (Member), and Minister of Environment (Member).
Call for land reforms
In related development, the President had charged members of the Technical Committee on Land Reform to put in place modalities for protecting land owners in the country.
Delivering his remarks at the inauguration of the committee which has as its chairman, Peter Adeniyi, also in Abuja today, Jonathan frowned at the current practice where landowners who are predominantly farmers cannot access credit facilities using their land.
He noted that at a time the country was counting on growth from agriculture such knotty issues had to be resolved on land administration.
According to him agricultural growth and development could only come with adequate land reform that protected land owners.
Williams
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