Why Senate confirmed Buhari’s 15 NDDC board nominees, rejected Nunieh

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed 15 out of the 16 nominees forwarded by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly for confirmation as board members of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

According to a statement by Special Assistant (Press) to Senate President, Mr Ezrel Tabiowoh, the nominees confirmed by the Senate are Dr Pius Odubu (Edo), Chairman; Bernard Okumagba (Delta), Managing Director; Engr Otobong Ndem (Akwa-Ibom), Executive Director (Projects); Maxwell Oko (Bayelsa), Executive Director, Finance and Admin; Jones Erue (Delta), and Chief Victor Ekhator (Edo).

Others are Nwogu N. Nwogu (Abia), Theodore Allison (Bayelsa), Victor Antai (Akwa-Ibom), Maurice Effiwatt (Cross River), Olugbenga Edema (Ondo), Hon. Uchegbu Chidiebere Kyrian (Imo), Aisha Murtala Muhammed (Kano), Shuaibu Ardo Zubairu (Adamawa), and Ambassador Abdullahi Bage (Nasarawa).

The upper chamber, however, rejected the nomination of Dr Joy Yimebe Nunieh, as nominee representing Rivers State on the board.

Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, in his presentation of the committee’s report, explained that the committee sent an invitation to the nominee twice to attend the screening exercise last week.

The lawmaker, however, told his colleagues on the floor that the nominee on both occasions refused to appear before the panel for screening.

(Credit: Vanguard)