Major Sins of the NDDC MD Chibuzor Ugwoha
The Bayelsa Patriotic Front BPF, has identified the four major sins of the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Chibuzor Ugwhoha. The MD needs to perform ablution to cleanse himself and the Commission of maladministration. The Front – through its spokesman hinted that they visited the Commission and interacted with more than 37 staff of the NDDC. The visit was to confirm or disconfirm earlier allegations made against Mr. Chibuzor Ugwhoha by other civil societies Groups.
Comrade Barnabas Akpos revealed that all the people who interacted with the Front expressed similar views, though in different languages. They explained that salaries are paid regularly but complained bitterly about the ostentatious life style of the MD, describing him as the most expensive MD the Commission has ever had since NDDC came on stream. Making tacit reference to his life style one man said” Omene was MD, Aguariavwodo was MD Alaibe was also MD but they never maintained a convoy pof more than 3 to 4 cars. But Ugwoha's convoy is larger than that of a Governor. It is this flamboyant life style that gives the Commission ugly publicity.
The Coalition accused the MD of awarding of contracts without due process because he has no regard for Board decisions because of his connections at the Centre. The Group claimed its investigations showed that the MD relied more circulars from the Federal Government than the NDDC Act, which is not healthy for the effectiveness of the interventionist agency. The deliberate disregard and non-implementation of the Board's decisions is tragic and damnable.
Earlier, the Niger Delta Coalition for Good Governance through its Secretary General of the Coalition Comrade John Idumange decried a situation where the Managing Director ridicules State Representatives and often calls them part-rime Board Members whose decisions are irrelevant. If there is no synergy and harmonious working relationship between the MD and the Board, the Commission is taking two steps backwards, Idumange said. This disconnect automatically creates a lacuna for mischief makers to exploit. NDDC was established an interventionist agency not a theatre for high wire politics, which stifles initiative on the part of the Board and the productivity of the staff.
The opinion of one of them is that the problem of the MD is not so much of incompetence but greed. And that is why he does not follow the enabling Act establishing the Commission. An Engr from the Project Monitoring Directorate opened up and lamented that most of the jobs belonging to States are awarded by the MD, and such jobs are executed by his fronts. He graphically described the process: Award Letter is XYZ Nigeria Limited; Location of Project Imo State, but the XYZ Nigeria Limited has no traceable address. This is pure 419, he said.
The investigations of the Bayelsa Patriotic Front further revealed that Mr. Chibuzor Ugwuoha uses one SCOT-TOMMEY from Akwa Ibom State as his Front the same way Alaibe used JCC as his front. The Front was briefed that the same SCOT-TOMMEY celebrated his birthday in Dubai and an estimated $2million USD was spent. He also shuttles Port Harcourt and Abuja to handle the PR end with the former SGF. Rather than retrace his steps, the MD has resorted to cheap propaganda against the NDDC Board and other principal officers. Ugwoha is a sole administrator, a lady remarked.
In the Directorate of Planning and Statistics, it was revealed that the NDDC in 2010 overshot its budgetary requirements. Rumours making the rounds indicate that the Commission is embarking on the installation of transformers in all the nine States. The MD has given out the job for N18 million, but has only paid 20% of that sum. He has perfected plans to keep the money in the Bank to yield interest and pay contractors in piecemeal. Even the installation contract is awarded to his cronies with a promise to kick back N5 million each.
Comrade Barnabas Akpos on behalf of the Bayelsa Patriotic Front cries to President Goodluck Jonathan, to check the excesses of Mr. Ugwoha before he routes the Federal Government Parastatal. A stitch in time, saves nine.
28th June 2011