NYCN Faults Buhari’s NDDC Appointment

Agency Report/

The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has faulted appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari for the board and leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)

In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, the NYCN leadership alleged that the appointment contravened the Act establishing the commission.

According to the statement signed by the Council’s National Secretary, Blessing Akinlosotu, the council specifically faulted the non-implementation of the rotational appointment stipulated in the Act.

The NYCN called on the President to review the appointment in line with the establishment Act of the NDDC.

The group stated: “Section 4 of the NDDC Act states that the office of the Chairman shall rotate amongst the member states of the Commission in the following alphabetical order: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers, and shall continue in that order throughout the life of the Commission.

“From the above, it is clear that all previous appointment of Chairmen of the Commission has followed the principle of rotation as enshrined in the NDDC Act.

“The next chairman shall, therefore, be an indigene of Delta state to comply with the Alphabetic rotation provision for that office.

“Section 12(1) of the NDDC Act states inter alia, ‘There shall be for the Commission, a Managing Director, and two Executive Directors who shall be indigenes of oil-producing areas starting with the member state of the Commission with the highest production quantum of oil and shall rotate amongst member states in order of production.

“This clear and unambiguous provision of the NDDC Act means that every member state shall produce the MD of the Commission in a rotational manner following a sequential order that uses the quantum of oil production.

“It is important to note that while Sections 4 and 12 address the issue of rotation of the offices of Chairman and MD respectively,

“The Act states that the position of MD and the Executive Directors “shall rotate amongst member state in order of production” {Section 12(i)}. This is straight forward and does not leave any room for mischief makers to import other interpretations.

“Just as in the case of the Chairmanship of the board, the Federal Government has continued to comply with the rotation of the position of the MD of the Commission.

“Based on this analysis, Delta State is to produce the next Chairman of the Commission while Ondo State is to produce the MD in line with the provision of the NDDC Act.”

The NYCN, therefore, prayed President Buhari to withdraw the nomination and review it in line with the Act.

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