The Ijaw Network for Development and Ilaje National Alliance Movement have commended the Senate for confirming 13 out of the 15 nominees of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), for appointments on the Niger Delta Development Commission board.
The lawmakers had on Tuesday confirmed Chief Samuel Ogbuku as the NDDC Managing Director for a term of two years. It also confirmed Major General Charles Airhiavbere (retd), from Edo State, South-South for the position of Executive Director, Finance and Charles Ogunmola, Ondo State, for the position of Executive Director, Projects, among others.
But the groups in a separate statement on Wednesday hailed the lawmakers for standing for the people despite opposition to some nominees of the President.
In a statement jointly signed by IND’s President and Secretary, Akaderi Isaac and Akpo Otupeokumo respectively, the Ijaw group while congratulating Ogunmola said his appointment as the new NDDC’s Executive Director (projects) was deserving.
“We are delighted by the news of his confirmation because we believe that Mr Ogunmola has the requisite capacity and experiential knowledge to discharge his responsibilities as ED Projects to the satisfaction of NDDC mandate areas and allied stakeholders.
“We thank the Senate for not allowing itself to be blackmailed by prebendal forces who wanted to scuttle the nomination just to satisfy their evil cravings to the detriment of the yearning of the masses who want him to serve on the board of the NDDC because they believe he is endowed with the capacity for effective and efficient service delivery.
“Similarly, now that he has been confirmed by the distinguished Senate in accordance with relevant provisions of the NDDC and reliance on established precedents, we call on all stakeholders – political leaders, traditional and religious leaders, youths, and women in the Ijaw area of Ondo South to provide the needed cooperation with him so that he can bring the needed development which has remained elusive till this day due to poor leadership to the area.
“Given the underdevelopment that has characterised our area for years, we believe there will be a paradigm shift because of a people-centred development that will be facilitated by Ogunmola and other confirmed members who will sit on the board and management of the interventionist agency.
“It’s time for work and given his illustrious pedigree in the private sector, we are more than convinced that he is a round peg in a round hole who will meet the yearnings and collective aspirations of our people in particular and the Ijaw Nation in Nigeria.”
On its part, the Ilaje National Alliance Movement said Ogunmola would fill the vital position in accordance with the NDDC Act.
In a statement by its Secretary, Oluwatobi Fagbemi, the group said, “There’s no doubt that his choice by President Muhammadu Buhari to fill the vital position in accordance with the NDDC Act was a strategic move by the President to put a capable and efficient hand who will bring a massive turnaround to the interventionist agency in terms of the quality of projects to be executed and the relevance of such projects to the mandate states that make up the agency.
“We are particularly grateful to the Senate, who despite the bottlenecks emplaced by some perennial parasites in Ilaje land masquerading as leaders who wanted to surreptitiously frustrate the confirmation, went ahead to confirm the nominee based on the NDDC Act and already established precedents of the distinguished Red Chamber.
“Going by the work ahead and the urgency to bring the much-needed development to our axis, we invite all and critical and relevant stakeholders in and around Ilaje LGA of Ondo State to rally around and provide the needed support and cooperation with the new ED(Projects). We need him as much as he needs us for the overall development of our area.”
