Eric Teniola
Since 2000 every President in Nigeria has been unfair to Ondo and Imo states in terms of appointments of Chairman/Managing Director/Executive Director in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
It does not matter the quantum of oil produced in those two states as long as they are still members of the NNDC, the rotation formula as contained in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Act should be applied. Why do I say so?
On August 27, 1991, General Ibrahim Babangida, created Delta State along with other states. He then named Asaba as the state capital, a decision that is still regarded as crucial even till today. A few months later on June 25, 1992, General Babangida established the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC). On July 9, 1992, General Babangida signed into law, the OMPADEC decree. The states covered by OMPADEC were Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Edo, Ondo and Abia states. Port-Harcourt was named as the headquarters of OMPADEC in the decree. The decree states among others that the Chairman and all other members of the Commission shall be appointed by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; the Chairman and all members of the Commission shall be full-time members; the Chairman shall be the chief executive of the Commission and the supplementary provisions contained in the Schedule to this decree shall have effect with respect to the proceedings of the Commission and the other matters contained therein.
In establishing OMPADEC, General Babangida took a cue from Section 159 of the 1963 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. General Babangida should be commended for establishing OMPADEC. From 1966 till 1992 nothing was done by the Central Government to cater for the plight of the people from that region.
General Babangida appointed Mr. Albert Korubo Horsfall from Buguma in Rivers State as the Chairman of OMPADEC. Mr. Horsfall was the former Founding Director of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency and Director-General of the State Security Service. He also appointed six commissioners to work with Chief Horsfall among whom is my friend, Dr Juniad S. Mohammed. Between 1979 and 1983, Dr. Mohammed represented Kano West in the House of Representatives. During the tenure of Chief Horsfall, OMPADEC received 11.48 billion naira (approximately $133,488,372) from government through monthly disbursements from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). During the tenure of Chief Horsfall, all the six states were allowed to appoint directors in the commission. Mr Ajose Ikudehinbo represented Ondo State and he was made Director of Research and Planning. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan during that time served as Assistant Director in the Fisheries Section under Mr. M.C. Kanu who was then Director of Environment. Other directors were Mr. Princewill Iwueze, Mr. Essien, director in charge of finance, Mr. A.I. Nnamani, director in charge of General Administration.
General Sani Abacha, , came to power on November 17, 1993. On October 1, 1996, he created Bayelsa State out of Rivers State thereby increasing the membership of OMPADEC from six to seven. On February 22, 1996, General Abacha dissolved the board of OMPADEC and its commissioners were removed based on claims of non-performance. The government claimed that the contractors performed below expectations. General Sani Abacha then appointed Professor Eric Agume Opia as the sole administrator. Professor Opia is from Kwale, which is the headquarters of Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State. Kwale has produced eminent citizens including Rear Admiral Mike Onah, Senator Patrick Osakwe, Brigadier Godwin Alabi Isama (although his mum is from Ilorin), Rear Admiral Sunday Uguna, the Minister of Finance in the old Mid-Western Region, Chief Ogoegbuname Idise Dafe among others.
When General Abdusalam Abubakar, came to power on June 9, 1998, one of the first things he did was to fire Professor Opia. He then set up a five-man panel headed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Nsikak Eduok to probe the tenure of Professor Opia. On November 11, 1998, General Abdusalam Abubakar appointed the former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Dan Preston Omatsola to run the affairs of OMPADEC.
At the time President Olusegun Obasanjo took over on May 29, 1999, he handed the affairs of OMPADEC to his special adviser on utilities, Mr. Liyel Imoke. Mr. Imoke hails from Agbo tribe in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State. His father, Dr. Samuel Imoke was a medical doctor who became a cabinet minister and leader of parliament in the former Eastern Region. Mr. Imoke’s mum, Comfort Imoke (nee Imoukhhuode) is from Sabo Gida Ora in Edo State while his dad, Dr. Imoke was a good friend of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. In addition, Mr. Imoke was given the schedule of running the then NEPA by President Obasanjo. Mr. Imoke was later elected Governor of Cross River State in 2007. He served for eight years. In December 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo, sent a bill as an Act changing the status of OMPADEC to Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. On June 6, 2000, the Act was passed into Law by the Senate while the the House of Representatives did same on June 1, 2000 and signed into law by President Olusegun Obasanjo, on that day. President Obasanjo appointed Chief Godwin Eyarubere Omene, the first indigenous Deputy Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, the first Managing Director of NDDC. Chief Omene is from Delta State. President Obasanjo also appointed Chief Onyema Ugochukwu as the pioneer Chairman of NDDC. He is from Abia State. Ugochukwu joined the Business Times group as an economic analyst and a pioneer staff of what would later become the most influential financial newspaper in Nigeria. Ugochukwu rose in the ranks to become the editor of the Business Times newspaper (1977 to 1982). In 1983, Ugochukwu became editor-in-chief of the London-based West Africa magazine, where he wrote extensively on development issues, to provide a better understanding of the African debt crisis. Mr. Timi Ndutimi Alaibe from Bayelsa State later succeeded Chief Omene as Managing Director of NDDC between 2007 and 2009. After leaving the Senate in 2007, Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw from Cross River State was appointed the Chairman of NDDC. He later handed over to Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba also from Cross Rivers State.
Between 2006 and now, the following served as Managing Director or Chairman of NDDC: Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba (Chairman of the Governing Board, 2016–); Mr Nsima Ekere (Managing Director/CEO) from Akwa Ibom State (2016–); Mr Mene Derek, Executive Director, (Finance and Admin), 2016– and Engr. Adjogbe Samuel, Executive Director, Project, (2016–).
Till date, no one from Ondo or Imo State has been appointed Chairman or Managing Director of NDDC, contrary to what was contained in the bill.
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