Finally, Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has confirmed that the NDDC Forensic Audit Report is ready to be submitted to President Buhari. Tamunopriye Alaibo, Okon Udo Archibong and Uche Onyema therefore urge the President to make good his promise of June 24, 2021, while receiving leaders of Ijaw National Congress, that he will inaugurate the Board as soon as he receives the audit report

We, the coalition of youth associations in the nine constituent states of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), call on President Muhammadu Buhari, to inaugurate the Senate-confirmed Governing Board of the Commission following the completion of the forensic audit as has been confirmed by the Minister of Niger Delta.

While receiving some members of the forensic audit team in his office on Monday, August 9, 2021, Senator Akpabio confirmed that the Forensic audit of the NDDC, on which account the Board nominated by Mr President and confirmed by the Senate on November 5, 2019, was put on hold, has been concluded and the report of the forensic audit is now ready to be submitted to President Buhari.

With the completion of the audit, therefore, we urge Mr. President to put in place the Governing Board to ensure accountability, equitable representation and rapid development of the NDDC states.

We recall that on the 24th day of June 2021, while receiving the Ijaw National Congress at the State House in Abuja, President Buhari promised that the NDDC Board would be inaugurated as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted. The President said: “Based on the mismanagement that had previously bedevilled the NDDC, a forensic audit was set up and the result is expected by the end of July 2021. I want to assure you that as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted, the NDDC Board will be inaugurated”

It is against this background that our Coalition of Youths Associations from the nine constituent states of the NDDC align with the demands of Niger Delta Governors, ethnic nationalities, statesmen and civil society organisations who have been calling for the inauguration of the Governing Board, since 2019, in compliance with the NDDC Act and to ensure full representation of the constituent states.

We wish to caution that any further delay in inaugurating the Board of NDDC will unecessarily aggravate the heightened tension in the entire Niger Delta region, which unfortunately is inimical to the peace so far enjoyed in the region which lays the golden eggs that sustain the nation’s economy.

We call on Mr President to follow through on his promise and inaugurate the Board that he appointed for the Commission. Since the inauguration of the Board was put on hold in November 2019, the NDDC has been run by Interim Managements and a sole administrator who have been utilising the funds of the Commission without any significant development projects commissioned in the Constituent states in the last two years. Our people have suffered untold neglect from the absence of representation in management. The NDDC Act provides for a Board that has membership from all the nine constituent states, which is what Mr President followed in nominating the Board now awaiting inauguration.

President Muhammadu Buhari in a letter personally signed by him and dated October 18th, 2019 sent the names of nominees for the NDDC Board to the Senate. The members were vetted by all relevant agencies of the federal government following which they were screened and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on November 5, 2019. Mr President asked that the inauguration of the Board should be put on hold pending the completion of the forensic audit, for which an Interim Management Committee was appointed for the NDDC. The Federal Government announced during the inauguration ceremony of the IMC that the Senate-Confirmed NDDC Board will be inaugurated after the forensic audit.

Our people can no longer endure a prolonged wait before the Board takes over as our region has been yearning for the impact of the NDDC these past years. We therefore urge Mr President to speedily inaugurate the NDDC Board to ensure fair representation of the nine constituent states, accountability in the utilisation of the NDDC funds, checks and balances and due process in the Commission in compliance with the NDDC Act.

Tamunopriye Alaibo, National President; Okon Udo Archibong, General Secretary; and Uche Onyema, Publicity Secretary represent Niger Delta Youth Coalition