By Chimezie Godfrey
The House of Representatives will screen presidential nominees to the Board and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Thursday, October 12, 2023.
This follows a letter of request from the Presidency to the House of Representatives, which was read on the floor of the green chamber by Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who presided over Tuesday’s plenary.
The nominees as contained in the letter from the president are as follows:
Mr. Chiedu Ebie, Chairman (Delta); Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director/CEO (Bayelsa); Mr. Boma Iyaye, ED, Finance & Admin (Rivers); Mr. Victor Antai, ED, Projects (Akwa Ibom); Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, ED, Corporate Services (Ondo); Senator Dimaro Denyanbofa (Bayelsa); Mr. Abasi Ndikan Nkono (Akwa Ibom); Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya (Delta); Chief Tony Okocha State (Rivers); and Hon. Patrick Aisowieren (Edo).
Others are Mr. Kyrian Uchegbu State (Imo); Hon. Otitio Atikase (Ondo); Chief Dimgba Eruba (Abia); Rt. Hon Orok Otu Duke (Cross River); Hon. Nick Wende (North Central); Hon. Namdas Abdulrazak (North East); and Senator Dr. Ibrahim Gobir (North West).
It would be recalled that the Senate screened and cleared the nominees on October 4, 2023. This move by the House complements the legislative action by the Senate, and is pursuant of Sections 2 (2) (a) of the NDDC Act (2000), which prescribes that the presidential nominees must be screened and approved by the Senate in consultation with the House of Representatives.
The House is thus working in concert with the Senate to fulfill the provisions of the extant law.
Further, the House set up an ad-hoc committee to conduct the screening of the nominees, constituted of the following:
Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (House Leader), Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims (Deputy Leader), Hon. Kingsley Chinda (Minority Leader), Hon. Ali Isa (Deputy Minority Leader), Hon Usman Bello Kumo (Chief Whip), Hon. Oriyomi Onanuga (Deputy Chief Whip), Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu (Chairperson, House Committee on NDDC) and Hon. Jafaru Leko (Deputy Chairman, House Committee on NDDC).