The Senate on Tuesday rejected the nomination of Dr.
Joy Nunieh as a member of the governing
board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The upper legislative chamber, however, confirmed
the nomination of 15 other members of the board as well as a new Chief Judge
for the Federal High Court and President of the National Industrial Court (NIC).
Nunieh, a nominee from Rivers State, was declined
confirmation by the Senate due to her failure to appear for screening before
the Senate committee on Niger Delta which screened the nominees last week.
This was sequel to the presentation of the report
of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta which recommended the rejection of the
nominee out of the 16 nominees screened by the committee for the Commission's board.
The committee on page 18 of its 19-page report
stated that "Dr. Nunieh, representing Rivers State on the Governing Board
of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), was absent and could not be
screened; her nomination is therefore not recommended for confirmation."
After the presentation of the report at the plenary
by the committee Chairman, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, the Senate at its committee
of the ‘whole’ considered the report before confirming the nominees and
rejecting the only nominee that failed to appear before the Senate for
screening.
The confirmed nominees are former Deputy Governor
of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu, Chairman; Bernard Okumagba (Delta), Managing
Director; Otobong Ndem (Akwa Ibom), Executive
Director of Projects; Maxwell Oko (Bayelsa), Executive Director of Finance and
Administration; Jones Erue (Delta); Victor Ekhator (Edo); Nwogu N Nwogu (Abia) and Theodore Allison
(Bayelsa).
Others are Victor Antai (Akwa Ibom); Maurice
Effiwat (Cross River); Olugbenga Edema (Ondo); Uchegbu Kyrian (Imo); Aisha
Muhammed (North West); Shuaibu Zubairu
(North East) and Abdullahu Bage (North Central).
In his remarks, the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan,
while commenting on the existence of an interim committee overseeing the NDDC,
said: “I think there’s no ambiguity in this matter. The president sent to the
Senate his request for us to confirm his nominees.
"As soon as they (nominees) are confirmed, I’m
sure any other structure that exists now is vitiated. I don’t think we have
anything to worry about, because this is something that is clearly established
by the law.”
Lawan tasked the Senate Committee on NDDC on the
need to properly oversee the commission as soon as the new board takes over the
management of the agency.
“The NDDC is a special case. We recall that the president
had cause to ask for a total probe of what happened with the finances of the
NDDC. We are supposed to continually over seeing wherever public funds are put
out for the development of the country,” Lawan added.
On the existence of an interim management committee
in NDDC, he said: "There is an interim committee in place and this is more
like sabotaging the Senate which has the constitutional right to approve
appointments. It is not acceptable for anybody to set up interim committee. We
should respect the right of other arms of government and not try to sabotage it."
President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter to the
Senate President, Lawan, asked the Senate to confirm the nomination of a 16-man
board for the NDDC.
The two-paragraph letter dated October 18 but read
at plenary on October 29 by Lawan, read in part: "In accordance with the
provision of section 2(2)(a) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
(Establishment) Act 2000, I write to forward for confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, the under listed nominees for appointment into the NDDC board to
occupy the positions indicated against their names."
The Senate also yesterday confirmed the appointment
of Justice J. T. Tosho as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria,
and Justice Benedict Bakwaph Kanyip as the President of the National Industrial
Court of Nigeria.
This was sequel to the presentation of the Senator
Opeyemi Bamidele-led Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters
that screened the two judge-nominees last Monday. The upper chamber also yesterday
resolved to send a delegation to condole with the families of Tafawa Balewa and
Mobolaji Johnson over the death of Hajiya Jummai Tafawa Balewa and Brigadier
General Mobolaji Johnson respectively.
The decision was reached after a one minute silence
was held in honour of the deceased following two motions brought to the floor
by Senators Muhammad Bulkchuwa and Oluremi Tinubu respectively.
Hajiya Jummai Tafawa Balewa was the last surviving
wife of Nigerian first Prime Minister, Late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, while
Brigadier Mobolaji Johnson was the first Military Governor of Lagos State from
May 1967 to July 1975.
The Senate in a motion also urged the federal government
to immortalise Hajiya Jummai Tafawa Balewa.
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