Buhari Names Lauretta Onochie as NDDC Chair

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday urged the Senate to confirm the nomination of his Special Adviser on Social Media, Lauretta Ifeanyi Onochie, for appointment as the substantive Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Senate President Ahmad Lawan read Buhari’s letter containing the request at plenary.

The President also nominated others as members of the Board including Chief Dr. Samuel Ibukun as Managing Director for a term of two years to complete the term of his predecessor in office (Bayelsa State, South-South).

The NDDC board nominees, according to the letter, are: Laureta Ifeanyi Onochie (Delta, South-South) as Chairman; Chief Dr. Samuel Ibukun as Managing Director; Dimgba Erugba State representative (Abia, South-East); Dr. Ene Willcox Wills (Akwa Ibom, State Representative, South-South); former Deputy Edo Governor Dr. Pius Odudu (Edo, South-South representative); Hon. Gbenga Edema (Ondo, South-West); Elder Dimaroe Daniya Bofa, State Representative, Bayelsa State, South-South; Hon. Orok Duke, State Representative, Cross River, South-South and Engr. Anthony Ekene (Imo, South-East),

Also on the board list are Mr. Onyekachi Dimkpa (Rivers, South-South), Alhaji Mohammed Kabiru Abubakar (Zonal Representative, Nasarawa), Professor Tallen Mamman, SAN (North-East Representative, Adamawa), Alhaji Sadiq Sami Sule (Kebbi State, North-West, Zonal Representative), Maj. Gen. Charles Ehigie Airhiavbere (Rtd) (Executive Director of Finance) and Charles Ogunmola (Executive Director Project, South-West).

The statement titled: “Confirmation of appointments of Chairman and members of the Niger Delta Development Commission” reads in part: “In accordance with the provisions of Section 2(2)A of the NDDC Act, Cap N86, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, I hereby present the underlisted 15 names of nominees as Chairman and members of the NDDC for confirmation by the Senate.”

Soon after the list was read, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, APC-Delta Central however protested that there was no representative of Delta State in the proposed board in accordance with the NDDC Act which stipulates that each state of the NDDC must have a representative.

He urged the Executive to correct the anomaly.

Lawan however promised that he would ensure that the Act was adhered to adding that he would take up issue and ensure that due process was followed by adhering strictly to the Act establishing the NDDC in order not to delay the screening.

Senator George Sekibo (PDP – Rivers East), drew the attention of the Senate to the fact that the Chamber had in 2019 screened and confirmed nominees from President Buhari for the board of the NDDC and sought to know why the double work which is against the Senate Standing Orders.

The Senate President in his response explained that the former list could not sail through following the crisis that bedevilled the NDDC then.

This is not the first time the president would appoint Onochie to a position that is subject to the confirmation of the senate.

Onochie was nominated as a commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in October 2020.

Her nomination sparked outrage over concerns that she is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but the presidential aide said she resigned her membership of the ruling party in 2019.

In 2021, when the upper legislative chamber considered and screened her for the appointment, she was eventually disqualified.

At the time, the senate disqualified her on the grounds that Buhari had already nominated May Agbamuche as the INEC commissioner from Delta — the same state Onochie hails from.

“In 2016, we confirmed a national commissioner from Delta state, Mrs May Agbamuche and confirming Onochie from the same Delta will violate the federal character,” Kabiru Gaya, chairman of the senate committee on INEC, had said at the time.