Buhari sacks Nsima Ekere, appoints Acting MD for NDDC

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of an acting Managing Director for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He is Professor Nelson Braimbraifa.

The President, following a Federal Executive Council (FEC) resolution, has equally vested the supervisory role of the commission in the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, as well as approved the dissolution of the extant board.

Also appointed as Acting Executive Director (Finance and Administration) of NDDC is Chris Amadi, while Samuel Adjogbe, an engineer, becomes acting executive director (projects).

The appointments take immediate effect, a statement by presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, said.

The dissolved board was appointed in July 2016 with Victor Ndoma Egba a former Senate leader as chairman and Nsima U. Ekere, now the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress as managing director/ chief executive officer.

Other members of that board were Mene Derek (Executive Director Finance And Administration), Adjogbe Samuel (Executive Director Projects), Frank George (Akwa Ibom State Representative), Prof. Nelson Brambaifa (Bayelsa State Representative), Sylvester Nsa (Cross River State Rep.), Ogaga Ofowodo (Delta State Rep.), Uwuilekhue Saturday (Edo State Rep.), Harry Dabibi (Rivers State Rep.) and Bernard Banfa (North Central Rep.)

The rest were Mohammed Yahaya (North East Rep.), Mustapha Dankadi (North West Rep.), Abdul Kazeem Bayero (Ministry Of Environment Rep.) and Dr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, (Federal Ministry Of Finance Rep.).

Mr Ndoma-Egba had taken over from Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, also from Cross River State.

Mr Ewa-Henshaw-led Board was sacked by the federal government on July 16, 2015. That board went to court to challenge the action, arguing that by virtue of sections 2, 3 and 5 of the NDDC Act, they were entitled to four-year unbroken tenure from December 16, 2013, to December 15, 2017.

The outcome of that case is unknown at this time.

The NDDC was established in 2000 to facilitate rapid, even and sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful.