NDDC Budget: Niger Delta group commends Senate
by Lawal SherifatAsk President Buhari to inaugurate new Board
By Dapo Akinrefon
The Niger Delta Accountability Network (NDAN) on Friday, commended the decision of the Senate to demand the inauguration of the board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, before the consideration of the commission’s 2019/2020 budget.
In a statement by its president, Mr. Patrick Funkekeme and general secretary, Comrade Richard Irabor, NDAN called the Senate’s decision a “bold move for the reestablishment of order and due process.”
It added that the decision of the Senate has reinforced its faith in the capacity of the 9th National Assembly to provide credible oversight while cooperating with the executive branch, and asked President Muhammadu Buhari to “reciprocate the Senate’s goodwill by directing the newly-confirmed board to resume immediately.”
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The NDAN said that insisting on the board confirmed by it, the Senate has proven to be a “dependable ally of the people.”
According to the group, “the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has shown that it is a law-abiding institution and credible ally of the people with its decision to follow the law on the defense of the NDDC budget. We are encouraged that Mr. President as a firm believer in the law and due process will not allow the illegal interim management committee to continue to distort the operations of the NDDC.”
At plenary on Tuesday, after the Senate President Dr. Ahmad Lawan had read out a letter from the president presenting the NDDC 2019/2020 budget for consideration, Senate Minority Leader Dr. Enyinnaya Abaribe drew the attention of members to the fact that the board, which was confirmed on November 5, had not been inaugurated; rather, the NDDC was still being run by an interim committee, which was hastily put together by the minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
He made clear that the NDDC Act does not provide for interim management and it would be unlawful for people not known to the law to defend its budget proposals. Senate President Lawan agreed with Abaribe and asked that the new board defend the budget before the NDDC Committee.
The senate president repeated the decision of the Senate on Thursday when he directed the Senate Committee on NDDC to ensure that only the duly confirmed board members are invited to defend the budget.
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His words: “This budget is hereby referred to the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs. You are to report back in two weeks. Let me state that the committee should only deal with board members confirmed by the Senate.”
Other groups that have commended the Senate’s action are the Ijaw Youth Council led by Barrister Eric Omare who said that it is in consonance with the provisions of the NDDC Act, which states that the governing board shall be responsible for preparing the commission’s budget, and the Isoko Nation Youth Council, which had asked the senate to reject the budget.