By DAPO FALADE
A group, Social Action Nigeria, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to carry out a thorough cleansing of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), instead of embarking on window dressing.
The head of the group, Vivian Bellonwu-Okafor, in a statement on Monday, said the sack, over the weekend, of the acting Managing Director of the Interim Management Committee of the commission, NDDC, Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei by the president and its replacement with a sole administration arrangement fell short of the expectations of the people of the region.
Bellonwu-Okafor said the people had longed to see a genuine and effective transformation of the interventionist agency from its present moribund state, brought about by years of systemic corruption and impunity.
“The NDDC, shortly after its establishment, came under crippling influences that were both political and parochial and did not take long before it lost focus and derailed completely from its mandates as outlined in both its masterplan as well as its enabling Act.
“The president’s latest action in the regard of the commission of merely replacing one operative of the commission with another from same commission, does not signal any serious intention or action at addressing fundamental problems plaguing the commission,” she said.
She noted that the action of the presidentwas merely tantamount to replacing a wine with similar, in the same wineskin.
“Besides some of the very crucial dissections and operations that need to be carried out on NDDC, its leadership position process should be advertised and made to follow a rigorous selection and recruitment process in line with standard best-practices.
“This will go a long way to ensure that only persons not only deem qualified by education or experience as it were but more importantly with the right integrity pedigree and vision, gets recruited into the position.
“The tenure of such official need also be secure to help insulate it from political and ancillary influences and pressures to give him/her the necessary enablement and impetus to act in the best interest of the teeming masses of the region, as against that of a politician, as presently obtains.”
She expressed disappointment at the lack of action on the Senate’s Report from its investigative hearing on the NDDC and called for its implementation.
Bellonwu-Okafor pointed out that the on-going forensic report on the commission needs be pursued and carried out with untainted transparency, commitment and sincerity of purpose.
She added that “it was a process through which the downs of the commission could be systematically identified and remedied towards re-positioning the commission to its mandate and goals.”
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