By Nathaniel Zaccheaus
The Senate yesterday confirmed the appointment of the Special Assistant (SA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, Lauretta Onochie, as the chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
It also confirmed the appointments of the agency’s nominees for the positions of managing director, executive director, and members of the board.
The confirmation of the appointments of 13 out of the 15 presidential nominees for the Board by the Upper Chamber, was a sequel to the adoption of recommendations made to that effect by the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs.
Objections raised by Senators Seriake Dickson (PDP Bayelsa West) and Nicholas Tofowomo (PDP Ondo South), against Onochie and Charles Ogunmola, who was nominated as the Executive Director, Projects, from Ondo State, were ignored by the senate.
The Red Chamber, however, demanded that the forensic report be carried out on the commission by the presidency.
Dickson warned against violating the extant laws of the commission in any way, warning that bad precedents should not be laid with such confirmation.
He said, “In as much as we want the NDDC Board re-constituted for the efficient and effective performance of the commission, as far as the development of Niger Delta Region is concerned, we should not allow violation of the extant laws of the commission in any way.
“Some of the nominees already screened and recommended for confirmation by the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs are not from the oil producing areas, which are clear violations of relevant provisions of the NDDC Act.
“Aside from that, one of the nominees from Ondo State, whose appointment was kicked against by the entire three senators from the state, is also listed for confirmation,” he noted.
At this point, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, who quickly interrupted him, told him to talk for himself, and not other senators.
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Senator Nicholas Tofowomo said, for the report presented by the acting chairman of the committee, Senator Amos Bulus (APC Gombe South), not containing objections raised by the entire three senators from Ondo State against the South-West nominee (Charles Ogunmola), shows that justice was not done on the screening.
“The Acting Chairman of the Niger Delta Affairs Committee did not do justice to the report submitted for consideration and approval by the Senate today.
“Objections raised against one of the nominees (Charles Ogunmola), who is from Ondo State by the entire three senators from the state, are not reflected and very unjustifiable,” he said.
Lawan subtly ignored him by calling on the majority leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, to move for a committee of the whole where all the nominees, except two who were absent from screening, were confirmed.
