NDDC Board: Presidency Settles For Edo, Snubs Sylva’s, Akeredolu’s Nominees For MD

President Muhammadu Buhari, barring last-minute negotiations, will forward the list of Governing Board nominees of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the Senate for confirmation as soon as it reconvenes on September 20.

It was learnt that in arriving at the final list of nominees, the presidency reportedly dumped the recommendations put forward by Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva and Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu in respect of who should become the Managing Director of NDDC.

A top presidency disclosed that Edo State had been pencilled in for the position of the NDDC’s managing director.

This development, it was revealed, was the fallout of a memo by the Federal Attorney General, Abubakar Malami and approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, recommending that Delta State is expected to produce the Chairman of the NDDC, while Edo State will produce the Managing Director.

Also, Ondo State will produce the Executive Director Finance and Accounts, or the Executive Director Project, while Imo State will produce the Executive Director Projects or Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, one or the other.

But there appears to be tension in the oil-bearing areas of Ondo State following Governor Akeredolu’s recommendations for the NDDC jobs.

The Ugbo United Front (UUF) has vowed to drag the governor and the Senate to court over what it described as “Akeredolu’s ill-advised step”.

Also an indigene of Ondo State, Andrew Omomehin, who is also from the non-oil producing Mahin Kingdom like Edema, is reportedly pulling the strings in the Presidency to clinch the position of MD.

All the same, a statement by the National President of UUF, Dr Simon Ebijimi urged President Buhari to ignore Governor Akeredolu’s recommendations, saying, those recommended were not from oil-producing areas.

“The so-called recommendation of Barrister Olugbenga Edema and Dr Mrs Juliet Ilawole for MD and State Rep respectively by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu stands logic on its head because the duo do not hail from the oil-producing areas as enunciated in the NDDC Act.”