Presidency denies dissolving NDDC Interim Management Committee

The Presidency on Friday denied reports that it has dissolved the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

There have been recent calls by the National Assembly for the dissolution of the committee and the return of the NDDC to the Presidency for direct supervision.

For instance, the Senate ad hoc committee set up to unravel the alleged financial recklessness of the IMC to the tune of tens of billions of naira on Thursday lamented the extra-budgetary spending of the IMC, urging the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to immediately dissolve the committee.

The House of Representatives is also currently probing alleged corruption in the NDDC.

But reacting to reports in some sections of the media that the IMC has been dissolved due to the calls by the legislature, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said there was nothing as such.

In a statement on Friday titled, ‘Fake News On NDDC Attributed To Me’, Adesina wrote, “A statement purportedly signed by me has been making the rounds that the Federal Government has dissolved the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC.

“Merchants of fake news in action. The communication did not emanate from the media office of the President. Please ignore.”

The President had in October 2019 set up a three-man committee “to create the enabling environment for the forensic audit” that covers 18 years of NDDC’s operations between 2001- 2019.

The NDDC IMC was later enlarged to five in February 2020 by the President following the termination of the appointment of the then acting Managing Director, Joy Nunieh, who was replaced by Kemebradikumo Pondei.

Other members of the committee are acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Ibanga Etang; acting Executive Director, Projects, Cairo Ojougboh; as well as two members Caroline Nagbo; Cecilia Akintomide.